My niece, 32, has applied to the Malta Community Chest Fund for help with an expensive cancer drug (she has secondary breast cancer) which costs 650 euros a month.

With the application form, they ask for medical reports, a report by social worker, bank statements…and rightly so.

BUT then you hear THIS – smacking of the reeking under-belly of nepotism at the highest level.

Don’t hold your breath on this one …

But this does not seem to be the case for these girls.

May God bless them.

Eating disorders go beyond ‘inflicting pain on yourself’ and are in fact a form of psychological illness which does require help, but I will agree that since the telethon never mentioned them, the money simply should not be used for such.

Besides, the money is better spent helping those whose pain we know we can alleviate through our help, rather than a potential course (there’s always the possibility that Darleen may not pass after all), for one person to maybe help set up a potential eating disorder centre whose details have been shaky at best.

All in all, it’s just better to give money directly to the charities and organisations which deserve it.