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Elena Huelva died this Tuesday surrounded by her family.
“In the end, life is the memories we take with us, the people, the love, and I have already won. For love, for the fight, for the people, forever.”
This is how Elena Huelva, a 20-year-old Sevillian woman who in 2019 was diagnosed with a sarcoma de Ewinga rare type of cancer that occurs in the bones or the soft tissue around them.
During those four years, the young influencer He was gaining more and more notoriety on social networks, where he told hundreds of thousands of followers of his illness in a close, vital, honest and positive tone.
He also raised awareness of the urgency of devoting more resources to cancer research.
The impact of his testimony was reflected in the numerous expressions of affection, admiration, pain and gratitude that flooded those same social networks when his family announced his death on Tuesday.
“From this morning Elena dances and looks at you from her star”wrote his sister, Emilia, in an Instagram story.
Artists such as Aitana, Alejandro Sanz or Manuel Carrasco, the presenter Ana Obregón, who also lost her son to Ewing’s sarcoma, or prominent figures in Spanish politics expressed their condolences, thus joining the feelings of countless people.
“You and your desire have won us all and remain forever in the hearts of many people,” said the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, who thanked Elena for providing “light and hope.”
And it is that his motto #MisGanasGanan it became a message of optimism and conviction in the face of a disease that the young woman presented bluntly, including setbacks, moments of light, her hospital stays or her returns home with her loved ones.
Diagnosis in full youth
After noticing pain in her leg in 2019, when she was 16, Elena was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a malignant tumor that develops mainly in the bones and surrounding soft tissues.
The tumor can originate in any part of the body, although it usually begins in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis or the thorax, as well as in the skull or in the flat bones of the trunk, according to the National Library of Medicine. from USA
This rare cancer primarily affects children, adolescents, and young adults.
image source, iStock/Getty Images
He was initially discharged, but a few months following leaving the hospital, the cancer recurred, this time in his lungs.
His followers were able to witness all the medical processes: platelet or blood transfusions, tests, medication administration or chemotherapy sessions.
He also talked regarding his physical transformation from the medication and how he felt regarding it.
And he shared his reflections naturally, without imposing lessons.
Live the present
In January 2022, the young woman published her book “My desire wins. Nobody has promised us a tomorrow, live in the present” which already from the title reveals a maturity that perhaps arrived too soon and in whose presentation we read:
Have you ever heard the word “cancer” resonate in your head? Cancer has something curious and that is that we all think it belongs to others. Until it reaches you, and then it resounds too loud, like a distant but incessant beeping, the kind that, once it starts, you can’t stop hearing..
Since the beginning of December, the situation of the young woman worsened.
On the 4th of that month, Elena told her more than 800,000 followers on Instagram and almost 700,000 on TikTok that the disease had spread.
“It’s very dangerous, as you know. I don’t need to say much more”he explained in a video.
During the recent Christmas holidays, a smiling Elena told with emotion that she was able to leave the hospital and be with her family at home, and even shared a fun image as a New Year’s greeting.
But on Monday, a brief “I love you” on his Twitter and Instagram accounts greatly worried his followers, who on Tuesday saw how the sad outcome was confirmed.
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