Claire Galea (Page 3)

Claire Galea is a mum of three currently reading for a Degree in Nursing at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, as a mature student. She is keen about holistic patient-centered care as well as public education about health-related subjects, which she frequently writes about on Wham as a Content Writer and Website Editor.

Claire is also passionate about spreading awareness on the negative effects that domestic abuse leaves on its victims’ mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. She is the author of two downloadable ebooks, namely Heal Your Life Forever and 5 Simple Steps To Creating The Life Of Your Dreams.

Click here to check out Claire's full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles

teenage mum

Lately, Wham met up with Laura*, an inspiring young woman who has had a pretty tough life but whose resilience and strength are beyond imaginable. Laura’s journey started at just 15 years old when she became a teenage mum to a boy with a health-related condition. Becoming a teenage mum in a society where this was still very stigmatised proved to be one of the hardest situations she had to face at such a young age. Laura recalls the time when she had to pay half of her social benefits to her mother so as not to end up living with her baby in theRead More…

positive pregnancy test

From the moment those two lines appear on your positive pregnancy test, your life changes. Apart from a mix of emotions that can be even more heightened due to those increasingly raging pregnancy hormones, suddenly you find yourself anxious about the next steps you need to take, both for your pregnancy journey as well as for your baby. We at wham thought of making it simpler for you by compiling a list of all services available to women living in Malta and Gozo who have just got a positive pregnancy test. No matter what your personal situation is, you will definitely find services you canRead More…

sexual assault

Sexual Assault can be defined as unwanted sexual activity without prior consent or permission. This includes unwanted sexual touching or fondling, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, unwanted sexting, forced sexual acts (eg. oral sex), attempted rape or actual penetration (rape) of the victim. It is very common for the victim to feel guilty following sexual assault – “maybe my skirt was too short”, “maybe I was too friendly”, “maybe I led him on”, “maybe I got what I deserved”… No, no matter what, it is and should NEVER be considered as the victim’s fault. Nothing one does should warrant unwanted and unconsented sexual assault! If you’veRead More…

vulnerable carer

I was recently contacted by Rebecca, a 37 year old woman with invisible disabilities who, despite her own life hurdles, is doing an excellent job taking care of her own mother. As a vulnerable carer, Rebecca has been desperately pleading to authorities to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but her pleas have gone unnoticed. This is her story… I’m 37 yrs of age, and most of my life has gone wasted. Half of my life has been taken away from me due to my invisible disabilities. I never got to do what normal adults do: travel, work full time, buy a house or simply go outRead More…

fathers and online schooling

Following the publication of an article I wrote a few days ago named Online Schooling in Malta and its Devastating Effects on Working Mothers, certain women reacted negatively to it, stating that the effects of online schooling is not just being felt by working mothers, but by all mothers as well as fathers. And they were right. As a writer I focused on the devastating effects on women, forgetting the many fathers that are actively involved in their own children’s upbringing on all levels, including their education, and for this I apologise. One particular father reached out to me in reaction to my previous article.Read More…

online schooling in malta

Many have dreaded the closing of schools for months for obvious reasons, yet it happened again. As from the 15th of March 2021, online schooling in Malta was introduced for all school-aged children with the hope of curbing the increasing COVID-19 infection rate in the Maltese Islands during the National vaccination process. Unfortunately, this move has proved to add a lot of tension, insecurity, instability and stress on most families with children, with working mothers being the most negatively impacted by this strategy. Many mothers have felt a dire need to vent their concerns on social media in the past few days, including on theRead More…

cystic fibrosis malta mandy vella

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that causes mucus build-up within the lungs and the digestive system, causing lung infections and food digestion problems. Typically, CF symptoms start to show up in early childhood and worsen over time due to an increase in lung and digestive system damage, leading to an unfortunate shortened life expectancy. Adequate treatments can help reduce CF effects, promoting better living. Scientific evidence has shown that Trikafta (a.k.a. Kaftrio in Europe) has a positive impact on CF patients, improving their lung function by 14% (Cystic Fibrosis Trust). The downside to this is that it is a very expensive drug which makesRead More…

Every year on March 8th we get to celebrate International Women’s Day on a global scale. International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over a century, exactly since 1911, and it has been bringing everyone together collectively towards one main aim ever since. Social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women are commemorated on this day. However, this day also encourages us to remember and act upon the importance of working towards women’s equality. The European Commission issued the following statement in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2021: “The past year was a difficult one. The COVID-19 pandemic has spared nobody, and was particularly challengingRead More…

you're the worst mum ever

“You’re the worst mum ever!”, shouted my 6 year old angrily at me this morning, coincidentally on Valentine’s day. I must admit, as a mother I’ve always experienced that doubting voice inside my head whispering tauntingly, “are you really a good mum to your children?”. And whilst I believe I have been doing the best I can as a mother for almost 20 years, hearing those words still felt like a knife cutting right through my heart. See, my way of being a mother may somehow differ from the way other mothers follow in the upbringing of their children. Having become a mother at 18Read More…

unknown father unrecognised mother in police conduct

Recently an anguished mother contacted Francesca Fenech Conti, administrator of the group Women for Women (Malta), about a shocking issue she encountered when picking up a police conduct for her son…a son she had to raise on her own because his father refused to take any responsibility for his upbringing, leading the mother to register her son as having an “unknown father”. Despite the shock and emotional pain endured due to the situation, this mother is now on a quest to see justice prevail and to bring about the necessary changes in this regard. This is her story… Living in a Patriarchal Society – ARead More…