“Hello, I’m Lavínia, and this image you see is my “right now.”

The sign in my hands, asking for “support” (written in that rushed handwriting of someone who is tired, but refuses to give up), is only the tip of the iceberg of my story.

The truth is, I was not diagnosed yesterday. I have been fighting leukemia for 4 long, intense, and life-changing years. Yes, four years. For me, the hospital walls are no longer unfamiliar. I know the beep of every monitor, the order of the medications running through these tubes, and the exact time the hallway lights go out.

Those blurred figures in the background? They are my fairy godmothers in uniform, my confidantes, and on many days, my only company. They have seen me laugh and cry more than almost anyone.

My bald head… well, it has already gotten used to the wind (or the lack of it). I have lost my hair more times than I can count. With every cycle, with every battle, I have watched myself transform. What once felt like the end became a symbol of strength.

The flower tattoo on my arm is my talisman. It blooms even on the darkest days, a quiet reminder that beauty and life insist on growing, no matter how hard the ground may be.

Today, I picked up this piece of cardboard and wrote on it. Not because I want pity, but because I want connection. Leukemia can be a very lonely journey, especially when time passes and the people around you continue with their lives…”