Stand by Mizael & Elizabeth, in their Cancer Journey

Hello friends!

My name is Mizael & I’m 36 years old. I have been happily married to my beautiful wife, Elizabeth, for a little over 10 years, and we have 4 amazing kids (ages 2, 8, 10, & 16).

In May of last year (2024), the day before my birthday, I got the news that due to internal politics, my employer was laying off a percentage of the company, and unfortunately, my name was on the chopping block. The unfortunate events did not stop here but actually got worse. Around that time, my wife had been dealing with excruciating neck pain for some months, and it was only getting worse as time passed. After the necessary medical studies, a 4-inch (10 cm) mass was found on her chest. This mass was pressing on her heart, lungs, several arteries, and nerves, thus causing the excruciating neck pain from the pressure. This was just the beginning of the life-threatening tug-of-war we were about to begin.

Towards the end of June 2024, her pain was no longer tolerable, and she was going through daily fevers at this point. Pain opioids and morphine were not doing much anymore. At the beginning of July 2024, a biopsy was performed, and on July 5th, we received the call that would change our lives forever. My wife was diagnosed with T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, which is essentially a type of blood cancer. The chest mass was created from the cancer cells accumulating in that area; however, the main issue was that the cancer was already present in her entire bloodstream. The medical course of action was to put her on a very aggressive and complex chemotherapy regimen that is also used on younger adults to fight Leukemia.

On the week before Christmas, my wife suffered a rare and very uncommon reaction to a possible accumulation of toxicity from the several chemotherapy treatments she had been enduring. This reaction caused her brain to swell, and as a result, she lost the ability to talk or move willingly. The doctors said that the future was uncertain, and the condition could be temporary, but also permanent. I thought that I had lost it all, and I was hopeless. God reminded me that even during our darkest hour, He will always be there to shine a light, and gave us a true Christmas miracle. My wife was able to overcome this condition, and on Christmas Eve, we were released from the hospital and had the privilege to spend Christmas with our kids. There was no big family reunion, Christmas dinner, nor presents, but this was without a doubt the best Christmas of our lives. Unfortunately, full mobility and strength on her body’s right side did not come back the way it used to be, but it has been improving with physical therapy and her determination.

We still have a couple years left from finishing treatment, but we are pushing forward more and more, and cancer is losing ground. She has endured countless harsh chemotherapy rounds that have whipped out her health and immune system, multiple bone marrow biopsies, multiple spinal tap chemos, not being able to eat for several days from severe nausea, being sleep deprived due to the medications and steroids, complete hair loss, daily injections, and many other several struggles.

Even though I’m still unemployed, & our income has plummeted, getting laid off turned out to be somewhat of a helping hand in disguise. It has allowed me to be 100% next to my wife, and take care of her throughout the entirety of this ordeal. I’ve been by her side through every single treatment, every procedure, every poke, and every tear. Getting laid off also gave me some flexibility when juggling between our parental responsibilities, our children’s needs, plus our already existing daily life routines.

Remember that your health is your biggest asset and should be your priority over anything else. This journey has taught me that things like showering, walking, talking, eating, putting your shoes on, etc., might seem like “normal” things we don’t even notice, but are actually gifts that we need to appreciate. Don’t forget to cherish and appreciate the “little things” like taking the family out, grocery shopping with your kids, dates with your spouse, or even going on a walk to the park. Things like these are true privileges and have almost become extinct to us. I regret worrying, arguing, and giving importance to useless petty things when I could have enjoyed many of these privileges more. Don’t ever take anything for granted, specially health and family, and please enjoy and cherish the “little things”! God bless!

P.S. = All funds raised will be used to cover my wife’s medical expenses that unfortunately have been, still are, and will keep pilling up and increasing. Thank you for the support and god bless!