At War, You Can Make Buddies for Life

Maya is 11 and has lost a leg in the battle. She won, though, and the experience she had in the hospital brought her a new lifelong friend: Gabi.  “*I got sick when I was 8. At first, I wasn't worried. I was a very active kid, I didn't stay put for one minute (swimming, rollerblading, bicycling or riding my scooter), so I thought I just had a sore muscle. Then the pain started. After a lot of tests, we were told to go to Cluj or Bucharest. We chose Bucharest and I moved to a hospital room, together with my mom. I think I wasn't as much afraid of the surgeries themselves as I was of being away from home, not seeing my friends and family. I knew I was going to spend a long time in there, but we didn't know exactly what to expect. The doctors told us there are some children who stay in the hospital for a few months, some who stay for a year or even two. I got out after 9 months.*"  “*With Gabi by my side, I went through the entire experience more easily. I met her on the Oncology floor and we became friends when we ended up in the same ward. She was like a second older sister to me. We had the same diagnosis and we were close in age, so she knew what I was going through and she understood me very well. When I felt sick, she would encourage me, and when she felt sick, I'd encourage her. I got out first. We were supposed to be released on the same day, but her lab tests didn't come out right. Three days after that, they did them again and she got released, too.*”  "*To those who are in the same situation as me, I'd say hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. And be positive, have faith that you will get through this, although it won't be easy (because it never is), but you'll get through this. To the others, I'd say don't hesitate. Stop putting things off. You can't plan happiness. Don't spend all your life working. Have fun, travel, help people. Age doesn't matter, gender doesn't matter. As long as you're ok with yourself, you don't need to care about anything else.*’"  Join us in winning this war against cancer. We're enlisting soldiers! Donate! We’re Making a Hospital! The first National Hospital for Children with Cancer, Severe Diseases and Trauma