Hi, my name is Margarita. I am the mom of 12-year-old Mariana, she is my miracle baby. She is a lovely person, she amazes everyone, and they love her smile - she has the most amazing smile ever. Mariana loves to draw in her spare time, I told her one day maybe we can make a comic book with her drawings. She also loves to swim, play Roblox, and read.
Mariana has one sibling, her baby brother Junior, who she loves and adores very much. Those two are always together.
In November of 2022 Mariana was diagnosed with Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma of the 4th rib. When we received the news, it was the most horrible news ever, and our hearts were broken. We never once thought she would have cancer. We never thought we would go through this. There was that moment I said, “why my child or any child but mostly my child, why”? Even more so, the thought of going through treatments or even the possibility of not surviving. Mariana has been hospitalized for 7 months, and we never left her side. She has had some complications with her breathing which resulted in a tracheotomy. She gave us a scare, several scares, I almost lost my child. There was no blood going through to her kidneys which added dialysis 3 times a week. Mariana has been doing chemotherapy and she lost of her long beautiful black thick hair. Mariana became sad and depressed. I told her, your hair doesn't define you as a person, what matters is life and being a strong warrior. I told her, your hair will grow back. Every day, I push her and tell her that she is a beautiful child. We have hope for Mariana, we have faith for Mariana is a true warrior. We thank her hospital team for keeping her safe and alive.
Mariana is still in treatment, and I know she is a strong warrior. This is a scary journey for Mariana. We try to keep her happy and enjoying life. We have faith she can pull through this. One thing as parents we learned - always kiss your kids, give them your time, and many hugs. Even as parents we have pain and sadness, but we always have a smile for Mariana even if inside it's scary to be in the world of cancer, especially when it's your child.