One year
two months
three days
some hours
ago
I was diagnosed with a relapse of a Hodgkin’s lymphoma I had 2 years before.
It was a very hard news to take, the cancer was widely spread and we were unsure of what the treatment needed to be. After several tests the doctors decided the best was to kill the cancer from the roots, I had to had many very strong chemo’s and a bone marrow transplant.
My life had to start a long pause and many of my plans needed to be postponed, but luckily, just postponed.
When I knew about all this I decided to take it in a positive way (I know it sounds crazy) but I am sure all in this life happens for a reason and that every challenge is an opportunity to be a better person, to grow and to realize how good life can be.
I decided to share my life challenge through this blog, and, as I was isolated in a hospital room to let know my friends and family how good I was, how my cancer was disappearing and a bit of what was going on.
This blog little by little started to be something very important in my everyday life. Not only for sharing but also for liberating myself of thoughts and feelings, to learn about me and my cancer, about the treatments. Last but not least, it was very important to use all the free time I had while waiting for my body to kill the cancer and to recover, to build my immune system and to be ready for being out in the world again.
I left the hospital a sunny day in february 2011. I was happy but very very scared, my body was still very weak and sensible. I had to go directly home and be in my room, isolated now in my house. It was good to be out and little by little see more friends and interact with the nature and world. (You can read about this in my last post)
My life started to have more activities not related to the hospital and a bit of adventure outside of my health headquarters (my room) every now and then.
May was a very important month. I leaved my room and started wondering in the house, I received more and more visits and I started going out to not so crowded places, to breathe without my mask. During the third week of may in a doctors appointment I was allowed to leave the country for the summer (I had to do blood tests every month and some other medical stuff while I was abroad).
June first I boarded a plane that brought me to Toronto, Canada. The city where my today husband lives and where we spend a wonderful summer. I was able to be with him on his master’s graduation day. We traveled to the cottage, visited his friends in Ottawa, we had a wonderful time. Finally not just through Skype or during his short, but sooo important visits, though the toughest times.
The months passed, I had to go to Mexico for doctor’s appointments every two months and I would just come back to my new home. We signed a lease to our apartment with one of his closest friends, our rommie on September 15th. My life started taking shape again; after months of being sick and weak, but always certain of the power of love and the good energy, always sure that my life was not even close to an end. Sure about the fact that I had lots more to do and to experience and that cancer was just another challenge I had to overcome.
In Canada I was little by little building up my new life and knowing I was going to be here for a long time (forever?) I started trading in a local yoga studio front desk hours in exchange for classes, it felt good. I would also start having some activities and getting to know better my hood and Canada. Thanksgiving was a very special and new holiday. All my family but Uri my brother would come to spend it in Canada. It was a great week where my parents stayed at Alex’s parents home and Ade at our apartment.
We had good family trips and dinners that would be started and followed by several toasts. Great times, indeed, great times.
After my October appointment I came back to Canada with my beloved Goyo. It was a mixed feeling when we left and we had to say good bye to our Mexican family, specially, knowing Goyo was going to be very missed in Mexico City, Ade, my brother is his (and my) most close person in the world and he would let him come to be my company in Canada. I know, in the bottom in my heart this was very hard for both Goyo and Ade, but that they did it because they both love me. Goyo’s trip was fine, he arrived to Canada in a happy mood and we both enjoyed a lot our first walk around the hood with Alex, now, the tree of us together, enjoying our Torontonian Life, being a family.
I went back to Mexico at the end of November, hoping not to go back for a while since Alex and me really wanted to start my Immigration process in Canada and the only way to do so is to be in the country. I had several appointments and several vaccinations, on the last one, my doctor said I could not come back for a while; I could stay in Canada, do the tests there and just start the immigration. I was very, very happy; I could now really start a life (that I had already started) up there.
Christmas was a specially happy and hard time. It was awesome to be experiencing my first Canadian holidays and spending them with my love and his family…even though I was missing my other home and all what was going on there like Uri’s and Helena’s visit, the very typical Acapulco New Year eve, family and friends diners. Anyways we had a great time over the holidays and I was very sure 2012 was just coming full of new awesome things to experience.
The year started in a wonderful way-playing hockey (with my birthday present hockey skates) at the SaltBox (Alex’s parents little cabin in the country, near Toronto). In our way back, on January 15th, just in the intersection of the 401 and 407 Alex proposed.
Pure happiness, pure love.
Other exciting things also started with the year. I got an internship in an awesome organization called Operation Groundswell. They organize backpacking trips to developing countries, backpacking trips with a purpose behind. They take action and work for a better world. Yeah right? It is just like me. I thought so too when I applied ☺ At OG I met the first other person besides me that has been at the Gibbons experience, must be the place for me. After few weeks I just felt very happy of being part of that team and started building friendships….
Since then the months have passed really fast. Wedding preparations, new internship loving the job and wanting to spend more time there, doctors appointments, getting ready for visits, Visa letters, dress fittings, dog walks, life, just a wonderful life.
I’m not gonna say Canada is only happiness, sometimes, many times, Goyo and I miss Mexico a lot. Our mom and dad, Ade, our home, but certainly we are being strong and knowing now this is our home. I missed my mom and friends specially through all the wedding stuff. Trying on a dress without Ade and mom around is never the same. Luckily I also realized I have other people with me, around. This don’t mean that they are replaced, just that I am not alone.
Much stress has been around too, why in the world I though we could get married in just 2 months! Well, because the sooner the better for my immigration process. And actually the wedding was awesome! Much people missed but awesome! And hopefully, as soon as I can get out of Canada we will have a Mexican celebration as well.
I shall end this blog post now. And, I shall say this will be the last blog post in this blog I will write. I can’t end this blog without thanking all the people that contributed in the great work of keeping me alive.
There were many ways of doing so:
from the daily nourishment of my heart,
to the blood and platelets donations,
long days and nights in the hospital,
phone calls, skype calls and emails,
good energy vibrations send from all over the world.
I truly believe I am today someone carrying the good energy of many many people and that is as well as a great joy, a great responsibility I am willing to take and to be proud of.
I will share my story, I will always send good energy to the people but mostly, I will live my life, happy to have it and aware of my great second chance.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
All my blessings to you and all your beloved ones.
* living * loving * laughing * learning *
Kari
