In the year 2010, Cuban Young athlete Yaniuvis López was member of the National Athletics team, where without any visible symptom or knowledge on it, there was a lethal and silent disease that was invading her body. Her strength was gradually disappearing and the color of her blood began to go pale. However, she became the current Cuban runner up in the shot put event.

“I had the national championship of the shut put event on March 24th, 2010 and I won there the second place with my hemoglobin showing a number 6 as its parameter as well as really low levels of my platelets and leukocytes,” Yaniuvis said.

Yaniuvis, who is an athlete from Santiago de Cuba, did not know that her life was in serious danger due to her strength had hidden the devastating effects of an acute leukemia.

“I felt terribly bad and very weak a week before that competition. There were also bruises appearing on my legs and that was the moment I began to worry, then after the competition and during the following day in the morning, I began to cough and spit out blood and the doctor of my sport quickly helped me,” Yaniuvis recalled.

Luckily, she continued alive and kicking thanks to an intensive medical treatment and her own determination to continue alive. “Once I saw myself in that critic physical condition I thought I would not be able to return to my sport given I was too thin, but the doctor always gave me the strength to carry on as well as my coach, my mum and my boyfriend,” Yaniuvis said.

Doctor Irving Figueredo, on his part, who works as a hematologist at the Medical Surgical Research Center (CIMEQ), said that Yaniuvis was taken to the aforementioned medical institution when she was in a very weak physical condition.

The specialist considers that the key factors during her recovery period were the support given by doctors from the intense medical care service and those from the hematological service in order to guarantee the treatment which depended on certain requirements as well as the discipline kept by Yaniuvis and her strict fulfillment of all the medical orders.

Doctor Irving Figueredo added the patient continues in good clinical condition, complete remission and without a medical treatment at the moment.

After having eliminated her disease, Yaniuvis has restarted a new stage in her life in which she tries to come true her dreams. “Just going back to my sport, being like I was before or even better, given that I think when there is a will there is a way. Besides, I would love to train again in order to compete as well as the possibility to have children in future.” Yaniuvis stated.

Undoubtedly, the abovementioned dreams will be come true by this young athlete, aged 25, who thanks the wonderful possibility of being alive in order to demonstrate her best future performance in the Cuban sport. By Laura Pérez Ceruto