My Story

“You fight with your spirit and no one can take that away from you”

Amy Camilleri Zahra grew up in a loving family with two doting parents and a younger brother. All those who know Amy know that she loves life and all the good things that life has to offer. From a young age, she enjoyed school and she wanted to continue studying at university. Once Amy completed her primary and secondary education she went on to continue studying at De la Salle College Sixth Form. After finishing sixth form, she started reading for a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Malta. During her years at university she worked part-time as a TEFL teacher and as a sales assistant with a leading mobile telephony company. 

At age 21, during her second year at the University of Malta, her life changed forever. In February 2006, she was urgently taken to hospital by ambulance. Her parents were told that Amy had contracted bacterial meningitis. Her parents were prepared for the worst and were told to say their goodbyes as there was very little chance she would make it alive. She was intubated, sedated and transferred to the intensive therapy unit. Family and friends came to hospital to say their goodbyes. Amy’s heart stopped beating three times and she was given shocks to revive her heart. Her kidneys also stopped working and due to lack of circulation her legs and fingers had turned black. After three weeks in ITU, Amy’s sedation started being reduced. However, the only way for her to live was to have her legs and fingers amputated.

Amy was transferred to the Burns Unit and she underwent a number of serious and long operations. Three years later, her father donated her one of his kidneys. After such a life-changing experience, Amy tried her best to move on with her life. She went back to university but later changed course and read for a degree in Psychology and graduated with a first class honours degree. She then went on to read for a Masters in Disability Studies at the University of Leeds and is currently reading for a doctorate at the University of Malta. Amy works as an assistant lecturer at the University of Malta.

Amy is also a disability rights and women’s rights activist and she has been involved in a number of organisations. Amy also went on to co-found an organization by the name Amputees4Amputees (A4A) to advocate for better services for amputees and disabled people in Malta. Through her work with A4A, Amy was instrumental in bringing about change to long-ingrained services offered to amputees in Malta. Amy’s work in the disability sector has been recognized by a number of awards she has won, including the ‘Zaghzugħa tas-Sena’ by Kerygma, the JCI Global Goals Award and the US Ambassador’s Woman of Courage Award.

Amy’s life-changing experience and work have also taken her on many adventures, including travelling, attending conferences and training abroad, being part of the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network, attending a town hall event with Barack Obama, and speaking at large seminars and conferences. 

Amy Camilleri Zahra went on to marry her longtime boyfriend Mark Anthony Camilleri and they have one son together.