Unstoppable Testimonies

Hello! I am Pilar and in 2012 I started a long journey.

My journey began in May 2012 when I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as of that date I started to experience many things. I have gone through punctures, tests, chemotherapy which forced me to spend 5 days in hospital, how unpleasant they were… And all of this until the transplant was carried out. First of all, they checked if my siblings were compatible with me and, if not, they would perform an autologous transplant.

To begin with, the doctor had told me that I would definitely not be able to work for at least six months. The chance of recovery, according to the doctor, was 50-80%, which she said was high, but there was also a chance of relapse after a few years. She couldn’t have explained it any clearer! I was grateful, by the way, I wanted to know what I was up against!

Knowing this, what I needed was support and encouragement, not all at once, but in doses, as I was going to spend some time away from everything. I received visits from my loved ones and you know what? I also received a lot of e-mails, a collection of more than 600 pages, can you imagine? THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM!

In 2013, on 3 May to be precise, I knew I had made it (for the time being). None of the tests, analyses, biopsies… showed any sign of traces of the disease. I was truly overjoyed! It is true that, despite the good news, I had to follow some guidelines that my doctor indicated, but I knew that I would gradually be able to return to my normal life.

It was a year of many changes and much learning. The illness taught me to value life.

In 2018 I had to undergo another bone marrow transplant due to a relapse. This time, the donor was my brother. The transplant failed completely and 4 months later I underwent another transplant.

In 2023 I underwent CAR-T immunotherapy after a new relapse of my lymphoma. I have never considered myself a person with much of a sense of humour, but I admit that cancer has given me a heightened sense of humour and there is really nothing funny about it. But laughing and crying is part of the emotional roller coaster you experience during the illness, Pilar explains in her blog ((www.abracadesvirtuals.com).

Cancer can kill me, but I will not allow it to kill me mentally, not least because there is life during cancer and because sometimes the disease makes you appreciate what is really worthwhile in life and what is totally secondary. As I say: What if I am afraid? Then, we’ll do it in fear.

Pilar