Natalia was always a healthy little girl. She was diagnosed with stage 3 Burkitt lymphoma (BL) at the age of 10 on February 14th, 2025. Prior to her diagnosis, we had taken her to her regular doctor, urgent care, and after not getting any answers, we went straight to the emergency room. What we initially thought was just a sore throat, swollen lymph node due to infection, possibly cat scratch fever, turned out to be a mass in her neck, eventually leading to the discovery of cancer throughout her body. It was a devastating moment for our family, but we knew we had to stay strong for Natalia.
After her diagnosis, Natalia had to undergo several procedures. One was the placement of a port. She also had severe lumbar punctures, and she endured very high doses of chemotherapy due to the aggressiveness of her cancer.
Thank God we were able to complete maintenance one and two of chemotherapy. After being rescheduled due to an issue with the machine, we received the news on August 29th that her scans were clear. She has been brave and strong through it all. She is always happy, cheerful and singing along this journey with her beautiful voice.
Natalia
stage 3 Burkitt lymphoma (BL)
