BarcelonaBarça CBS will play a historic and decisive match against Alcobendas this Sunday (6pm) at the Palau Blaugrana. Fans have withdrawn some 4,000 tickets. After a very solid season in terms of both play and results, the team coached by Isaac Fernández is very close to promotion. The Catalan group will not be able to count on Ainhoa López, who a few days ago was diagnosed by doctors with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.
What does playing at the Palau Blaugrana mean for the project?
– It’s a dream for the team, an illusion. The project and women’s sports go one step further. We look forward to sharing the moment with people and helping to keep the project growing. We are living this attempt to climb with enthusiasm, but calmly because there is still a lot of competition. We’ve done things really well and we’ve been very regular, but we have to keep it that way until the end. If we can reach the Endesa Women’s League by direct route, much better.
How are you?
– I feel good, positive, as I am. I am adapting to this new situation, which is a new stage in my life. Now I have to enjoy basketball from the outside, but I have the goal, the desire and the certainty to do it again very soon from the court. I want to heal and get well. Attitude is very important and I have it, so go ahead.
The news was a blow to the locker room, but the people on the team say that seeing your reaction has helped to cope.
– It’s bad news, but it’s also a motivation for the team. I hope it serves as an extra energy to face this stretch of competition. On a personal level, it’s shocking. Just as it affected everyone, including me and my family, but that’s all there is to it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Why did you decide to talk openly about it?
– Because I think that as basketball players we have a visibility and a speaker that other people don’t have. Many people suffer from this disease and perhaps from where I am I can give visibility and raise awareness of the importance of health. If my example serves anyone, I will already be satisfied and have done something for society. When you are part of a club like Barça and you suddenly disappear from everyday life … I felt obliged to explain it. I wanted to say it and thank everyone who was already interested in me without knowing what I had.
The overall reaction has been very nice.
– I was very excited. It’s one thing to feel loved and another to be so loved by so many people. The response from people has reached me a lot. When bad things happen to you it is when you realize all the people who love you and want to support you. I’m excited. The world of basketball is very big, but the response has been overwhelming. It’s a motivation to get well and come back.
Have you started treatment?
– Yes, I have a chemotherapy session and I have another one next week. Chemotherapy is hard and the days after treatment are the worst, but overall I am very positive. Time goes by and this is a sign that we are moving forward. It’s been a little over a month since I got the news … Life is like this, it’s happening and you don’t realize it. When the news broke, my family and I were shocked. I went to the doctor with my mother [Loly Rodríguez, una exjugadora del Barça de futbol] and we both were left wondering what to do. It was a lot of information at once and it was hard for us to assimilate. I was still waiting for tests to confirm the diagnosis, but on January 19 I started to assimilate it. It’s over now. It was a shock that no one expected, but it can happen to anyone.
Have you been told deadlines?
– Each person is a world and depends on how your body reacts to chemotherapy. If all goes well, with a Hodgkin’s lymphoma the approximate prognosis is about 5-6 months. But every body is different, so I’m ready for what’s to come.