Ely is facing cancer in Venezuela

Ely is a mother and illustrator that lives in Catia (Caracas, Venezuela), and a while ago she felt something painful in her left breast. However, doctors reassured her there was nothing to worry about. In order to know everything was okay, she underwent some exams that showed that yes, she indeed had a stage 3C ductal carcinoma. In plain words, she had cancer.

Cancer is a word with so many underlying topics that immediately paralyzes even those with a strong character. Everyone, from her family to her boyfriend and her closest friends knew we had to act quickly but most of us didn’t know how to or where to begin. After reaching out several foundations and hospitals, we were advised to contact the Sociedad Anticancerosa de Venezuela (Venezuela’s Anticancer Society), where some health programs are offered to some cancer patients.

Thankfully, Ely nowadays belongs to a small group of patients which are receiving all the help and support the Sociedad Anticancerosa can bring, which goes from aiding them find the most important medicines for chemotherapy (such as Adriamicina and Ciclofosfamida), taking care of the doctor’s appointments, medical process, but also psychological and nutritional support. The road ahead will be a tough one, involving 8 chemoterapy cycles, surgery, and tentatively a follow-up cycle of chemo and radiotherapy.



Jover, her boyfriend, wants to help Ely go back to her cheerful and optimistic self, understanding the important role that emotions play in people’s health, especially in those afflicted by cancer. The goal, so far, is to be able to keep her focused on the job they both share and are very passionate about, illustration.


In order to keep her mind off her condition and focused on things that will improve her mood, she need appropriate tools and conditions to work with. Hyperinflation made nearly impossible to ensure food, water and medicines on a daily basis. Tap water is usually available at her place twice a week, however it's been proven unhealthy to consume, which demands an extra effort by boiling it, purifying it and storaging it in water bottles. Medicine prices are so high that the minimal wage can only afford 1 blister of the cheapest one, from a total of 6 different ones.

There's also the issue of keeping her old professional hardware up and running. Being acquired back in the 2000s, this has also proven difficult, as the government's failure to keep the electric grid functional means electronic devices are playing a Russian roulette whenever the next blackout hits. Her old computer and digital pen are so damaged and slow, that makes her passion a frustrating experience. 

Fortunately, she’s already received half the chemo doses (march 2019) and she’s improving. The chemotherapy’s symptoms have been showing stronger every time, though, which have become an additional factor into the worries and ills of everyone who’s had to deal with cancer, and by now, both of Ely's and Jover's life savings have been spent on her treatment. 


Jover would like to help Ely afford the basic needs that would let her illustrate in an optimal way, improve her health and performance, so that earning the money needed to deal with her current situation wouldn’t be such an issue. By doing so, she could focus more in the profession she loves and not on her cancer.

Both Ely and Jover  manage a Facebook page where they share their illustrations and designs, The Brush Effect 


Her family and friends can’t really estimate how much the expenses for her situation, in Venezuela’s Bolívares Soberanos, would be due to the rampant hyperinflation. Any prediction would be a shot in the dark. That’s why we’ve set our goal on crowdfunding only the basics she needs for what is the second half of her therapy, helping alleviate the economic burden, so that she can focus on what she’s passionate about: Drawing and illustrating.

We want her to have an active role in her recovery process. That she feels she will overcome cancer not just due to everyone else’s help and support, but also due to her own effort and dedication.

Every single penny that gets crowdfunded will be spent in helping Ely afford a better healthy environment for recovery, and if there happens to be any extra funds, these will be spent in covering the expenses of any secondary medication she needs, such as those that help counteract the side effects of chemotherapy, and helping her afford a diet that will help her recover faster during this process.

Thank you so much, and we wish you the best!

 Ely's Instagram: ely_elyblue 

Jover's Instagram: jover.vargas