Sandra Zuluaga was unable to travel to the United States to seek treatment that would allow her to defeat cancer.. The Colombian, 33 years old, died in Spain after several weeks crying out for help.
(In context: Colombian asks for help to reach the United States and treat aggressive cancer).
Journalist died waiting for help to be treated in the United States
“I refuse to let cancer win over me in this life, I refuse to let this cancer belong to me because it doesn’t, it taught me something, but it will have to go and I will fight with all my might to make it so,” he wrote on his networks at the beginning of September.
In 2018, the diagnosis he had been given of tendonitis in his hand turned into a strange disease: synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer. which attacks soft tissues and affects those under 30 years of age, according to medical literature.
To give you an idea: each year, in the United States alone, one to two cases are diagnosed per million people, according to data from the National Cancer Institute.
The main treatment is surgery to remove the tumor, in addition to chemotherapies and radiotherapies. However, – as the specialized institution St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital explains – if it spreads to other parts of the body, it is more complex and the survival rate is lower.
The hope of the trip to Spain
This disease is very rare and difficult to treat.
Zuluaga, being a communicator and journalist, had worked in institutions in Antioquia, such as the Personería of Medellín, until decided to go to Spain with the aim of accessing more advanced and experimental treatments that would allow him to eliminate cancer from his body. Chemotherapy and other procedures in Colombia had not produced results.
(You may be interested in: Breast cancer: one in eight women can develop it, how to avoid it?).
Thanks to donations, he was able to pay for the trip to Spain, where he underwent a clinical trial. As she explained, the tumor was growing in her chest and could affect her heart or lungs.
He received a glimmer of hope in early 2023, when doctors told him the tumor had shrunk by almost half.
“This disease is very rare and difficult to treat. For science, perhaps, it has not had much expectation of response and very low survival percentages, but this soul that has fought with all its being and believes with certainty that we are capable of take the body to heal. Today you already get the first answers,” she said excitedly.
(See: Lorena Meritano talks about her process of overcoming cancer: ‘We are being reborn’).
However, his health began to decline in mid-2023. They detected that the tumor was growing again near his lungsfor which he had to start other treatments outside of Spain.
“With this I have to start over. I am trying to re-create that support network and look for other medical outlets, investigate other alternatives between France and the United States, because here I have no other options,” he said with hope in a video on his networks.
With the same enthusiasm that he had before going to Spain, he hoped that organizations in the United States would offer him a way out of cancer. He was also looking for help to obtain a visa quickly to enter that country.
(Also: Breast cancer: 1 in 8 women can develop it, how to avoid it?).
‘Our warrior went to rest’
Zuluaga shared an emotional message for his partner this September 22, hours before his death: “You were the beginning of that real, genuine love. You were the one forever, the one of my entire life. I love you.”
The Colombian’s family highlighted all those who were attentive to her evolution and announced that she died due to health complications.
“We thank you for the messages, the words and the infinite support in Sandra’s process. Today our warrior went to rest. Thank you all for your support,” they wrote.
Now, They will begin the process so that his body is repatriated and they can bury him in Colombiawhere her loved ones and friends encouraged her every step of the way.
You can also read:
– Mauricio Leal’s brother counterattacks due to harsh testimony that affects him in the crime.
– The boss reported for labor abuse in Ibagué appears: ‘There is a human reason.’
– This is how Edwin Arrieta’s sister responds to a strong letter that Daniel Sancho’s father sent her.
LATEST NEWS EDITORIAL
#Colombian #journalist #cried #treat #rare #cancer #dies