Juan Manuel Recalde Vocos

During the year 2018, I made the courageous decision to leave Argentina and settle in Canada, ready to redefine my life and start a brand new career. The following year, as 2019 unfolded, I was immersed in my studies, determined to excel in my exams.

One night, after long hours of studying, I woke up suddenly, troubled by a sharp pain in my shoulder blades and persistent difficulty swallowing. Despite my athletic habits, I initially assumed it was simply a muscle injury. For months, I endured this growing pain to finish my study session. But when even rest no longer eased these pains, I decided to consult a doctor via Zoom due to the pandemic, aware of the need to take care of my health.

The verdict, delivered the day after an X-ray, was brutal: a 20-centimeter tumor lodged in my chest, followed by a diagnosis of leukemia after thorough blood tests. Forced to abandon my plans for at least two years, I now had to be hospitalized. This is where the odyssey of my battle against the disease truly began.

Fueled by my positive yet realistic nature, I faced each challenge with courage, from the shock of my biopsy results to the infectious complications of neutropenia. From day one, I mentally prepared myself for all possible scenarios, even considering a return to Argentina for a possible farewell to my beloved family.

After a week of chemotherapy, hope was tainted by an implacable verdict: Acute myeloid leukemia, variation on chromosome 17, resistant to all known chemotherapies. Only the option of a bone marrow transplant offered a glimmer of hope. When I asked the doctor what would happen if it failed, perhaps hoping for a year to see my family again, his answer was unequivocal: a maximum of three months to live. Faced with the uncertainty of the future, an image of my 85-year-old grandmother, gracefully dancing despite her own health challenges, inspired me with renewed determination. The next morning, when the nurse entered my room, she caught me cycling, and her kind reaction was exactly what I needed to draw strength from.

The months that followed were marked by insurmountable challenges: four rounds of chemotherapy, peritonitis, two severe infections, and months bedridden under the effect of morphine to ease acute pain, which in turn caused new suffering due to withdrawal. But through each trial, I found unexpected strength in the unwavering support of my family, friends, medical staff, and my passion for music, symbolized by my faithful guitar.

Finally, the long-awaited moment of the transplant arrived: half an hour of fierce struggle, mixed with hope and fear. But above all, victory! Today, after two and a half years of remission, I look back with gratitude, aware of the chance I was given to fulfill my deepest desires, including reuniting with the people I love in Argentina, thanks to the generosity of stem cell donors and the dedication of researchers and organizations like the LLSC.