WORST NEWS | When leukemia returns after 17 years: Elche seeks donor for Andrea
Andrea Cuenca Martinez from Elche was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 12 years old. Now, At the age of 29 the disease reappeared. There have been many advances in medicine in recent years, but the need for a compatible donor remains acute. Neighbors and family members are running a joint campaign to encourage people to become donors.
In many cases, life is neither easy nor fair. And if it isn’t, tell Andrea Cuenca from Elche. Diagnosed with leukemia at age 12, and now, at 29, the blood cancer has returned. He only recognized one a week before getting marriedlast April, but so as not to spoil the party for anyone, he said nothing. She swallowed her disgust completely.
Andrea Cuenca when she first contracted the disease as a teenager. / INFORMATION
Faced with this bad news, she now, His family and friends, of course, want to beat leukemia again. But to do that, they need to find a compatible donor. That’s why those closest to her, from her aunt and godmother Carmen Cuenca to her neighbors in the Las Bayas neighborhood and part of the Carrus neighborhood, are joining a collective call for people to donate bone marrow.
The Importance of Bone Marrow Donation
“Many respond,” thanks her godmother, who nevertheless remembers that it is impossible to become a donor for a specific patient, that is, with a first and last name, and biological data is sent to an international system. Andrea is accepted Main Hospital from Alicante. On Tuesday he was very weak because of the chemotherapy he was receiving. She already knows what it is. 17 years ago he had already received significant doses of chemotherapy, which later, at the Hospital de La Fe in Valencia, allowed him to undergo an autologous bone marrow transplant. After two years of treatment, one between hospitals, he was finally able to overcome the disease.
Looking for compatibility
However, an autotransplant is not possible at this time. For now, he will be dependent on a bone marrow donation from his sister. The problem is that he is 50% compatible, which is fair enough, so the countdown has begun to find a donor who offers greater compatibility. On June 17, it was officially confirmed that he has leukemia and may have to undergo a transplant this summer, so more compatible donors need to be found urgently. Those interested can do so at stationary and mobile donation collection points. Alicante Blood Transfusion Centre (call 965169710).
Andrea on her wedding day. / INFORMATION
The Reality of Leukemia
Leukemia is a type of cancer that begins in the blood cells found in the bone marrow. There are many different types of leukemia that can affect children and adults. In Spain, according to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology, About 6,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Of these, about 350 are children.
Leukemia causes uncontrolled increase in white blood cells. These cancer cells penetrate the bone marrow and prevent the rest of the blood cells (red blood cells, platelets, and healthy white blood cells – leukocytes) from forming properly.
For this reason, among other things, according to the Josep Carreras Foundation, characteristic symptoms of anemia occur due to poor production of red blood cells; hemorrhages or petechiae due to insufficient or dysfunctional platelet formation; and susceptibility to infections, decrease in defenses (lymphocytes).
Another photo of a woman from Elche who needs a bone marrow donor. / INFORMATION
Call for solidarity
All the lovers of this woman from Elche (and there are many of them) insist on encourage people to become donors. Among many other reasons, he has not yet had a chance to enjoy his honeymoon. This and the rest of his life ahead of him cannot be missed.