Since Carmencita was born, her mother felt something wasn't right. At 4 months old, Carmencita started to have fever and a stomach inflammation. Her parents, worried, went to the nearest health center where, after a brief checkup, they were told it was just air accumulated.
Carmencita´s health wasn't getting any better, on the contrary, her stomach was rigid and her veins stood out due to inflammation. Carmen and Jose Eduardo, worried, decided to take her to a National Hospital in Guatemala City, where after an evaluation they didn't receive good news; Carmencita had a big mass in her stomach and should be urgently transferred to the Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica – UNOP- (National Unit of Pediatric Cancer), the only specialized center in the treatment of pediatric cancer in Guatemala.
After her arrival at UNOP, Carmencita was attended by specialized doctors, who immediately carried out the appropriate diagnostic protocols, stating Carmencita suffered from Hepatoblastoma (liver cancer), and her tumor had developed in big proportions at such young age.
She was immediately admitted to the UNOP for surgery as soon as possible. Carmencita received 10 chemotherapy cycles throughout the next six months to finally be operated on October 2019 when the tumor was successfully extracted; after the operation she was transferred for two weeks at the intensive care unit, where she celebrated her first year of life.
Today, Carmencita, with one year and 7 months old, is a playful child with all the capacities a toddler has; she is always smiling and her sight reflects the warrior she is. Her parents say that the process wasn't easy, they felt like their world was crumbling, nevertheless they are thankful to God for AYUVII/UNOP’s existence, who provide at NO COST a holistic and first-class treatment. Carmencita will remain for the next 5 years attending UNOP for her regular check-ups.
Carmencita´s parents express how grateful they are with tears in their eyes.“We have no words to thank God, the donors, AYUVI, and UNOP; our daughter wouldn't be here with us if this place would not exist and if we would have to pay for her treatment as we are a low-income family, we wouldn't be able to save the life of our little Carmencita” – Carmen says.
