MY LIFE Matters - Advocacy in Action - 41

A career in science was first introduced
ADVOCACY FUELED BY PASSION Finding Purpose in Advocacy
It was 2003, and I was in the throes of
to me as an undergraduate at the University
of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA).
My cousin was completing her second
degree and heading to medical school and
encouraged me to join the biochemistry
laboratory she was working in.
I heeded her advice and I'm glad I did,
because it changed my life. It also didn't
hurt that I would be getting a small stipend
for working in the lab. I joined the lab and
worked with several of the postdocs, but
I was not truly feeling " it. " In all honesty,
it would take me until pretty much the
current day to find out what that " it " really
meant. Fast forward and I completed my
bachelors, got into the master's program
at UTSA, and successfully defended my
research thesis, and jumped right into
a doctoral program at the University of
California at Santa Cruz. I think it's safe
to say that I fell in love with science and
was well on my way toward a career in
it. What I most gained from these experiences
at the bench, and from what was
waiting for me with open arms was the
breakthroughs we were making along the
way. Each contributing more knowledge
and insight into diseases that affect the
people we love.
taking my PhD qualifying exams when
I received the news that my eight-yearold
niece, Maria Isabela, was " sick. "
Bel or Belzy, as we called her, was my
brother's daughter. " Sick " ended up
being acute lymphocytic
leukemia (ALL). ALL is
the most common form
of childhood cancer, and
while I knew there had been
great strides in identifying
very effective therapies and
the cure rate was greater
than 90 percent-thanks to
groundbreaking research
by amazing scientists and
physicians from all over
the world-we were al l
shattered upon hearing
the news. Even at that time
and with as little as I knew
about ALL, I was confident
that she would be treated
and God willing, achieve
remission and go on to live
a happy beautiful life. I've
always said that it was as if
Belzy was reborn after she
was diagnosed with cancer.
I think we all were. From a timid, quiet,
shy, hide-behind her mom's-legs little
girl, she became a singing and dancing
Selena-loving, God-fearing, look-atme
soul. She refused to be stifled by
her diagnosis and was determined to
LIVE, and determined we
all LIVE alongside her. Our
Belzy passed away nine
months after her diagnosis.
Nine months of living her
best life on earth only to
cont inue her work and
mission in Heaven. I feel
her and my brother every
day. He passed exactly 30
days after she did.
As the next pin in my
journey would have it, I
conducted my postdoctoral
training at St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital
in Memphis, Tennessee. I
chose St. Jude because it is
one of the most extraordinary
places you will go. Why
you ask? Because the feeling
of hope and faith and the
unwavering mission to save
very sick child is palpable.
The commitment of every
physician, nurse, scientist,
pharmacist, of EVERYONE
was unquestionable. We all
knew our WHY. I learned
so much about pediatric
ALL. About the ALL that
took my niece's life. About
the ALL that is different in
every child. I learned how
the outcome of children with
the exact same disease, same
subtype, same background,
and same treatment could
be markedly different due to many factors
including genetics, socioeconomic status,
gender, race, and many other factors. I
vowed to learn as much as I could about
this disease and I found myself repeatedly
asking, is this what happened to Bel? Did
this cause Belzy to die? I wanted to know
so I could try to explain it to my family.
Our work at St. Jude helped answer some
very important questions about ALL, and
hopefully one day we will come together
with other great work to find the cure.
Belzy dressed as an angel, celebrating her last Halloween.
MY LIFE MATTERS
ADVOCACY IN ACTION | FALL 2023
41
MY LIFE Matters - Advocacy in Action

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MY LIFE Matters - Advocacy in Action
