1672809043 Elena Huelva the 20 year old Spaniard who exposed her

Elena Huelva, the 20 year old Spaniard who exposed her battle with cancer on networks, dies BBC News Mundo BBC News Mundo

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Elena Huelva at a gala for Elle magazine

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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’ve already won. For love, for fight, for people, forever.”

So says Elena Huelva, a 20-year-old Sevillian woman who attended the 2019 a Ewing sarcomaa rare type of cancer that occurs in the bones or the soft tissues that surround them.

During these four years, the young influencer gained more and more notoriety on social networks, where she told hundreds of thousands of followers about her illness in a close, vital, honest and positive tone.

He also raised awareness of the urgency to devote more resources to cancer research.

The impact of his statement was reflected in the multiple expressions of affection, admiration, pain and gratitude that flooded the same social networks when his family announced his death on Tuesday.

“From this morning Elena will dance and look at you from her star”That’s what his sister Emilia wrote 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 and thus joined the feelings of countless people.

“You and your desire won us all and will forever remain in the hearts of many people,” said Junta de Andalucía President Juanma Moreno, who thanked Elena for donating “light and hope.”

And that’s his motto #MyWinWin it became a message of optimism and conviction in the face of an illness that the young woman bluntly portrayed, including setbacks, bright spots, her hospitalizations or her return home with loved ones.

Diagnosis at a young age

After noticing pain in her leg in 2019 at the age of 16, Elena was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a malignant tumor that mainly develops in the bones and surrounding soft tissues.

The tumor can arise in any part of the body, although it usually starts in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis or thorax, and the skull or flat bones of the trunk, according to the National Library of Medicine from the US

This rare cancer primarily affects children, adolescents and young adults.

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He was initially discharged, but a few months after leaving the hospital, the cancer came back, this time in his lungs.

His followers could witness any medical process: platelet or blood transfusions, tests, drug administration or chemotherapy sessions.

He also spoke about the physical changes the medication had brought him and how it made him feel.

And he shared his reflections naturally, without imposing teachings.

live the present

In January 2022, the young woman published her book “My wish wins. Nobody promised us tomorrow, live in the present” which already from the title reveals a maturity that has perhaps come too early and which can be read in its description:

Have you ever heard the word “cancer” in your head? There is something strange about cancer and that is that we all think it belongs to others. Until it reaches you, and then it sounds too loud, like a distant but incessant beeping, the kind that once it starts you can’t stop hearing it.

Since the beginning of December, the young woman’s situation has deteriorated.

On the 4th of this month, Elena told her more than 800,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 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 last Christmas holidays, a smiling Elena full of emotions told that she could leave the hospital and be at home with her family and even shared a funny picture 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 saw the sad result confirmed on Tuesday.

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