Turning Isolation into Connection: Mila’s Story of Gratitude and Purpose

In this interview, we get to know Mila, a 30-year-old from Spain who faced colorectal cancer at just 26, right in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. She opens up about how this tough experience shifted her perspective on life and sparked a passion for building community and connection. Mila emphasizes the power of gratitude and support, showing us that even in the darkest times, we can find strength and purpose.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Mila, I’m 30 years old and I’m from Spain.

What was your diagnosis?

I was diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer when I was 26 years old. It happened in the middle of COVID, which made everything a little bit more difficult and isolating.

When did you first learn about your diagnosis?

I found out about my diagnosis in August 2020, two weeks after my surgery. I had an Oncologist appointment, and I thought they were just going to talk to us through the different scenarios, because no one said a thing about cancer, but apparently even the surgeons and the hospital team knew what it was from the get go, they just didn’t say a word.

What motivated you to become a part of EU-CAYAS-NET, and what does it mean to you?

I wanted to be part of the positive change, the new narrative that EU-CAYAS-NET is creating, I want to be part of the conversation. I want to help others and bring awareness. I want them to have the information, the knowledge, the emotional, mental and physical support that most of us didn’t have during nor after the treatment.

I wanted to connect with others survivors and share my story, while bringing awareness. It’s quite vulnerable to talk openly about it, but knowing that we are in a place where we won’t be judged, where no one will look at us with sadness, where we won’t feel afraid to share our experiences, knowledge and how much our lives have changed sounded like an absolute dream. You are creating a safe environment and platform for the survivors, our families and friends, while being supported by each other at the same time with the supervision of the right professionals.

How has cancer changed your perspective on life? What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your experience?

Cancer has changed everything. From the way I think, feel and connect with others, to the way I act, communicate or live my life. It changed the way I perceive “time”, because now is the most valuable thing I could ever have. It changed the way I cope with the not so positive things that happen in my day to day life, because it opened my eyes so I could see how fast everything can change and that nothing is granted. I often find myself thinking about how I do not want to just live my life. I want to fully enjoy and experience every little thing that happens, I want to embrace and accept myself on this journey, I want to love with all my heart, I want to give my energy to the things I can control and those that really matters, to the people I love and care about.

I want to keep learning new things every single day, I want to keep doing the little and not so little things that brings me happiness and joy, I want to keep making connections with people that share a similar point of view about life or share a similar experience, I want to keep fighting to bring awareness so our voices are heard.

What helped you during the treatment process? Was there something or someone that made a big difference?

The biggest difference was my support system. My friends and family were as supporting as they could be, or knew how to be, during those circumstances. I’m very grateful because we made the most out of WhatsApp and video calls on those good days, but it was really tough because I couldn’t spend time with them due to COVID and quarantine.

We did our best to keep the connection, watching films “together” through Netflix Party or Discord, playing games online and having daily conversations about whatever was going on that day. I also did my best to let them know that I was still me, that they could tell me about their crush or the fight they had with their parents, and that if it was important to them it was also important to me.

I’m very passionate about music, so it also played quite a big role during the treatment process. Because of the shift and changes I was going through during the treatment, I realized that I didn’t know (no one really knows) how much time I had left to do the things I love or always wanted to do. I started playing drums during my chemotherapy treatment, and practicing and spending my day learning how to properly do it was something that helped me more than I can explain. During those 2-3 good days between each IV treatment, where I felt energized and powerful, I would go for long walks, I would learn how to play drums, I would drive my car while singing to One Direction, I would bake… I was unstoppable on those days.

What is one thing you wish more people understood about being a young cancer survivor?

How isolating and serious it is.

How do you like to spend your free time? What are your favorite hobbies or activities?

I love to go for long walks, get a coffee and a pastry at some point and either have a chat with a friend or family member, or just enjoy the view and some alone time with myself and my favorite playlist on Spotify.

I love to bake and cook, so I’d do my best to find some time throughout the week to do it. It is like therapy, some sort of meditation, because it brings me back to the present and it makes me focus on just one thing instead of overthinking.

Going to the movie theater, practicing Yoga, playing drums, watching the sunset, visiting and discovering new places, spending time with my friends and family, learning new things, going to concerts, playing chess and football with my nephew…

What lights you up? Tell us about the things that instantly make you feel happy or excited.

New opportunities and challenges, hearing the laugh of someone I love, the first sip of coffee in the morning, when my favorite artists releases new music, getting a concert ticket and having that concert and experience to look forward to, knowing I’m going to meet my friends and that I’m going to spend some quality time with them, going to my favorite place to have dinner, planning a trip or little getaway by myself.

What’s on your bucket list? Is there something you’re dreaming of doing or accomplishing?

I currently cannot stop thinking and dreaming about the possibility of representing Youth Cancer Survivors and YCE in the EU, to be a Patient Advocate in Europe and in the rest of the world in the future. To advocate for prevention and ensure that every individual gets the quality care they deserve.

I’m eager to keep bringing hope and light to other patients and survivors, letting them know that their voices matter, they are being heard, that we recognize their experiences, and they are not alone.

I’d also love to go to Disneyland Paris with my nephew and niece, because they’ve been dreaming and talking about it for the longest time and I’d love to be able to surprise them in the future with a trip there for the 3 of us. They are the most precious and adorable things in my life, and they do not know how much I love them and admire them, and how much they’ve helped me since the day I got diagnosed. I’d also love to be able to surprise my mum with a girls trip to Rome, to spend some quality time together and to make unforgettable memories with her while discovering the city and its history.

What keeps you motivated every day? Is there something that drives you forward, even on tough days?

There’s a few things that can definitely help me when I’m not feeling my best, but I’m also working towards accepting myself when I’m not feeling my best or I’m unmotivated. On those days, I focus a little bit more on consistency over perfectionism, on seeing the small wins and everything I have accomplished even if it was just getting out of bed, having a shower or brushing my teeth.

Most days what motivates me is the excitement, joy and happiness I get whenever I think about achieving my biggest dreams and goals. Whenever I think about everything that could go right, about random acts of kindness, about the possibility to change and reinvent myself.

The willingness and curiosity to learn new things, to make new connections and to discover different perspectives or points of view. The drive to make this world a better place, to help bring awareness, to keep an open and no judgmental conversation around cancer and young cancer survivors.

What are you most grateful for? What or who in your life makes you feel thankful?

I work, every single day, to be in an almost constant state of gratitude. I work really hard to bring myself to that state everytime I realize I’m overthinking, I’m not fully present or I’m not savoring the moment.

When not everything goes according to our plans, or the way we expected or wanted, we tend to distance ourselves from that state, from that feeling of being grateful, and we tend to focus on the things we cannot change or control. That’s when I turn into gratitude, that’s when I focus on my breath for a little bit, that’s when I do my best to remember I am alive. That’s when I stop for a bit and think about all the wonderful people and things I have in my life, all the new beginnings ahead, all the new opportunities to grow, change and learn.

I just recently started taking gratitude a step forward, and before going to bed I write down on my phone 1 to 3 things I’m grateful about that day. It can be from being able to write these things down on my own phone, to having a deep conversation with a friend, to calling a family member just because I miss them, to meeting someone new, to being able to go for a walk, to go to the cinema and watch a film, to being able to have water on demand… It can go from the tiniest little things, to the bigger one.

I love to feel grateful, and I love to let everyone know how grateful I am to have them in my life and how much I appreciate their presence, love and support.

Right now, I’m incredibly grateful and thankful because I’m able to connect with other survivors after feeling quite lonely since I got diagnosed. The fact that we can connect, and feel supported, heard, safe and loved around each other, makes me feel incredibly happy and grateful.

What’s been the hardest lesson for you to learn? Was there a challenge that really made you grow?

To experience, first hand, that we cannot take anything for granted, that our lives can change in a second, and that we might not be able to do certain things if we don’t say yes when the opportunity knocks on our doors. That not everyone is ready or really knows how to handle nor navigate through life when things get serious and tough. That you’d lose a lot of people and things because of cancer, which you cannot control nor do anything to prevent it, but you’d also learn a lot about yourself and you’d make deeper and healthier connections because of it.

What app do you use the most on your phone? Is there a specific app you can’t live without?

Right now I feel safer on TikTok rather than IG. I feel less pressure to post there and I feel I can control what kind of content I see on my feed much easier.

I also do my best to not lose myself there and mindlessly scroll for too long.

Google Maps is also very handy and I use it almost every single day because I’m currently living in the city, and I love to make a list of the bakeries and coffee places I’d love to visit in the app.

Spotify

Are there websites you visit daily? Where do you go online for inspiration or entertainment?

I visit YouTube daily because I do my Yoga lessons there, and I also use it to watch videoclips, Ted Talks, find new recipes and watch the content from the people I follow and get inspired by.

What’s a book, movie, or song you’d recommend to everyone? Tell us why it’s a must!

Interstate 60.

It is the best and weirdest movie I’ve seen in a very long time. Entertaining, thrilling, enthusiastic and not predictable. It encourages you to reflect on your life and the choices you make. It is fun and quite inspirational at the same time.