JUANITA PRADA

In 2003, at the age of 10, I was diagnosed with pre-B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many B-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the bone marrow and blood. ALL is the most common type of cancer in children. The symptoms I experienced were high fevers, constant limping, bruising easily all over my body, and feeling frequent exhaustion. There were many complications during my treatment, such as a near-death experience and undergoing a state of coma, a stroke that paralyzed me from head to toe, multiple central nervous system infracts, and an infection that required portacath removal. Due to this, I was hospitalized for a year straight and had to do various therapies to re-learn how to talk, walk, eat, write, count, tie my shoes, do all my activities of daily living, and the list goes on. I had the brain of a four-year-old. At the same time, I was receiving 15 different types of chemotherapy and undergoing various uncomfortable procedures and examinations. With the help of all the therapists, the medical team, my family, and God, I was able to push myself to thrive, and with time, I rehabilitated and recuperated. I completed treatment in 2006. Or so we thought.

Six months later, at the age of 13, I had a CNS relapse. The symptoms I felt were blurry and cloudy vision in my right eye. As a result, my family and I went straight to the hospital where I was told my cancer had come back. The doctor said I would have to have chemo again and, in addition, radiation on my brain to target the tumor in my eye. I was devastated like the first time, yet I felt a sense of relief knowing how this process was going to go as far as already knowing the people in the hospital who would take care of me, the environment, and being familiar with some of the types of procedures I would be having. My mentality was "if I got through it the first time, I will get through it the second time." I also knew the circumstances would be different the second time as far as things that could go wrong or be unlikely to happen (coma, stroke, etc.). Therefore, I pushed through and conquered.

In 2008, at the age of 15, I completed my second cancer treatment. It was a glorious day! After being in and out of the hospital for 5 years, I was told I was "cancer-free" and felt so relieved and normal again. I quote "cancer-free" because cancer for children is a lifelong diagnosis. First, we have to survive the cancer treatment, then a lifetime of late effects.  Due to the various health complications that happened during my two cancer treatments, like my vision being affected, having dental problems, having neurologic impairments such as learning disabilities, and in 2019, being diagnosed with epilepsy, I decided to take action and speak up. I created BeholdBeGold.A movement to learn about childhood cancer’s late effects and a safe space where pediatric cancer survivors share their own experiences with the challenges of late effects, yet as survivors, we don't let these late effects bring us down, but rather lift us up. Despite the barriers and challenges that come with survivorship, we are here, we are alive, we are grateful, we accomplish many life goals, we keep conquering, and we are doing extraordinary things each day by sharing our inspirational survivorship stories with the world. Please visit beholdbegold.org to learn more!

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