Two young North Africans who had previously undergone dialysis in their home country wrote to the medical staff of the nephrology department of a hospital in Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily to express their gratitude.
"We would like to thank you very much for treating us and for your hospitality. We are very grateful and we hope that we were not a burden for you," began the letter.
The two young North Africans arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa some months ago and their letter was addressed to the medical staff at the nephrology department at Palermo's Civico hospital in Sicily.
The two migrants, who had previously undergone dialysis in their home country, arrived at the hospital malnourished and in poor health condition due to the arduous journey and the sea crossing.
After a few days, they had begun to speak to the medical staff at the hospital and trust the medical treatment they provided for them.
Migrants waiting to get on kidney transplant list
They were both recently released from the hospital and will be hosted at a care home adjacent to the hospital to be able to continue the dialysis while waiting to be included on the kidney transplant list.
Prior to leaving the ward, they wanted to thank the staff with a letter in which they expressed their affection for them.
"You are like family for us," they wrote, drawing a large heart. In recent days, two kidney transplants were carried out in the the department on two other youths who will thus no longer have to undergo dialysis.
The operations were made possible by the donor - who had given his consent prior to his death - and the generosity of his family members.