Hello,

My name is Maria José, I am 29 years old. I am originally from Peru, and today I am going through the most difficult ordeal of my life.

I have been diagnosed with stage 3C cervical cancer.

Since then, my daily life has been turned upside down. Between the grueling treatments, medical appointments, fatigue, and pain, I fight every day to stay hopeful and keep moving forward.

When I arrived in Belgium on a Working Holiday visa, it was to have an experience, to work, and above all, to build my life here.

I have a boyfriend, a fixed-term contract with a company where I was about to sign a permanent contract, and accommodation provided by my employer… everything seemed possible.

But my visa,

even though I work and pay into the system every month through my pay slips, does not entitle me to any health insurance.

Before leaving Peru, I had taken out travel insurance… but it doesn’t cover cancer.

Returning to my country for treatment isn’t even an option: the gynecologists in Peru confirmed, with supporting documentation, that they are unable to treat my cancer at this stage.

Hospitals lack infrastructure and medication, and the demand for cancer patients is extremely high.

With such an advanced diagnosis, I didn’t have time to travel: the disease is progressing daily.

Belgium is therefore my only hope for receiving the care I need to live.

I am grateful to my employers, who are doing everything they can to support me, as well as for the speed of the diagnosis and the medical care I received.

I have no intention of taking advantage of the system: I want to pay as much as I can. But the cost of treatment is extremely high.

Given the medical emergency, I started treatment immediately.

It was only after they started that I discovered my visa didn't cover any of the costs.

Despite everything, I tried everything:

I contacted social workers

I reached out to various associations

But the answer is always the same: wait until my visa expires at the end of August to finally apply for CMU (Universal Health Coverage)... which won't be retroactive.

This means that all the treatments I've already started—that is, the entire beginning of my treatment—remain entirely at my own expense.

And it's precisely this amount that I'm trying to cover with this fundraiser.

This struggle is physical, emotional, and financial.

Every donation, large or small, will help me pay for the treatments already underway and continue my care.

Every share will give more visibility to my story and my plea for help.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who takes a moment to help me.

Your support means more to me than you can imagine.

Maria José