My name is Claudia Guerin. I live in Valparaiso, Indiana with my husband Marcelo and our little Shih Tzu Kuma. When I was diagnosed was Acute Leukemia back in May 2022, I knew very little about what science and medicine had in store for me; however, from the very first instant I felt surrounded and supported by a strong loving community that kept a caring vigil during the worst days and celebrate each step towards my recovery. I was able to endure cancer treatments and post-transplant rehabilitation because I felt lifted and carried by love. I got cured by the doctors and my loved ones.
Two years later, when I started being much better physically, my mental health started to crumble little by little. I was having vivid flashbacks about the nights at the hospital, bad memories assaulted me at night and kept me awake, and I couldn’t remember most of the first year after the diagnosis. Reading, meditation and hours of counseling didn’t make any difference; I needed to process the trauma of cancer treatment, prolonged isolation and survival. Searching for closure, I signed up to Writing is Healing, a workshop provided byBMT InfoNet to stem cell transplant survivors and their caregivers.
Some of these writings were created during the Writing is Healing workshop. They help me to look at what had happened to me with a self-compassionate lens, to remember all, to forgive me, and continue hoping. However, I’ve continue writing because I enjoy it and opens a new path to life after the life.