My name is Natalia Ubeyvolk. I was born in Khabarovsk, Russia and I moved to the States when I was 9. I am 22 now, I’m studying at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. I was also working at Chick-fil-A in Rio Rancho as a shift manager and the marketing director. I have three wonderful little siblings that I absolutely love spending time with. Unfortunately, on August 30th, 2017, my life changed completely.

I was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. My mom had taken me to the hospital because I was feeling very sick and we waited for hours for the doctor to tell us what was going on. All I remember is the doctor coming into the room and telling me that I have cancer and looking at my mom as she burst into tears. I never thought that I would hear a doctor tell me that I have cancer. The journey ahead of me was going to be long and hard but my doctors ensured me that my life will be back to normal once I’m done with my treatments.

I started out with having a PICC line in my arm through which I received medication, fluids, and chemo. It was very hard to have that in my arm because I had to take very good care of it and it couldn’t get wet so showers were a bit tough. But the hardest part of all of this was losing my hair. I knew it was coming but I wasn’t ready. My dad suggested that we shave it before it starts falling out because I didn’t want to see my long hair fall out. We ended up shaving my head before I was discharged. It was very hard for me but I have such an amazing family that supports me through everything. My dad and my mom both shaved their heads along with both of my brothers, and my sister got some shaved off the back. It was so amazing to have them be there for me and it made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this.

My body started changing very fast. I went from 145 pounds to 166 pounds and then down to 134 pounds. It was so weird for me to see my body change this way. I had to take steroids that gave me extremely bad abdominal pain and at times my dad would have to help me get up because I was too weak to do it on my own. After a couple of months, I had the PICC line taken out and I had a port implanted in my chest. I was told that I would have to have that for a couple of years while I’m getting treatment. The next few months were filled with hospital stays while I got lumbar punctures, bone marrows, X-rays, scans, fluids, medication, and a lot of chemotherapy. I have spent a lot of time on the 6th floor of Presbyterian Downtown in the Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit.

It’s been a very difficult journey because I am constantly feeling sick. I am always hurting or my body is aching and sometimes I just wanted to give up. But my brothers and sister are the reason I keep fighting. I don’t want them to see me give up. I am trying to be strong for them because I want them to see that no matter how hard life may get, you can get through anything if you just stay strong.

The nurses and all the staff have been so amazing and wonderful to be around. Everybody made me feel so special and they showed me that they really care about me. I got very close with a few of my nurses who are like family to me now. I also absolutely loved the Child Life program. They always had things for me to do when I would spend days or weeks in the hospital. I really enjoy arts and they always had so many different coloring, painting, or crafty things for me to do. One day, when I am no longer a patient I would like to give back and become a volunteer for Child Life because they have done so much for me. I really love sharing my story and I hope to help others who are going through the same thing.