Mothers from the Candida Bermejo Camargo Cancer Support Center: The power of unconditional love

A mother's love is a force that goes beyond words. It is a daily surrender, a silent struggle and a hope that is never extinguished, especially when their children fall ill.

For the mothers at the CBC Center in São Paulo, this love manifests itself in the courage to face the challenges of caring for sick children, often far from their homes and families.

They are warriors who, with strength and dedication, face each day with hope and faith, always seeking the best for their children.

Ana Maria Martins Melo is one of those very special mothers. Between comings and goings, she has been staying at the CBC Center with her daughter Iva Lorrane for over 16 years, leaving the rest of her family in Pacaratu, Mg.

Lorrane showed the first symptoms of cryptogenic liver cirrhosis when she was three days old and today, thirty years later, she is still struggling to recover from diseases that appeared after two liver transplants, such as lupus and intermediate nerve neuragia, which causes unbearable pain in the head, face and ear.

For Ana Maria and Lorrane, the care home is a blessing in their lives.

“We are very well received here, and knowing that we can count on a plate of food and a warm, comfortable bed for as long as we stay in São Paulo is wonderful. I've never had to, but I've known mothers who have stayed in the house for more than a year without being able to see their families!”

The struggles of each of these mothers is so great that the support of everyone who stays at the CBC is fundamental to keeping going. The children find in the mothers and fathers of the other patients, an uncle, a grandmother and they end up becoming one big family, which is very sorry when one of these angels loses the battle to the disease.

“Every mother becomes everyone's mother, if someone leaves we feel that a piece of us is leaving too. Because for us mothers, there is no other option, we believe in a cure, so we suffer together!”

When illness strikes, sisters like Brenda and Ketlin become mother and daughter, and fathers like Antônio Evangelista leave their lives to look after their children. Antônio has been accompanying Mariana since 2019 as she undergoes treatment for a liver disease. During this time, he has made great friends, like Lúcia, his neighbor in Boavista, Roraima, whom he only met at the CBC Center in São Paulo. Today, Lúcia, who accompanies her son Pedro, is Mariana's godmother.

Living together with people from such different places brings solidarity, friendship and learning about new cultures. Ana Maria recalls a party they threw for a family from French Guiana, celebrating the departure of their baby, because, according to their custom, returning a baby to God is a grace that should be celebrated. These experiences strengthen the hearts of these mothers, who maintain the hope of seeing their children healed.

The struggle of each of these mothers could be silent and solitary, but at the CBC Center they are never alone, their love is so great that it has the power to welcome everyone who arrives. That's why we celebrate these incredible women, who teach us the true meaning of resistance and unconditional love. May we recognize and value the strength of these mothers, who turn pain into hope and hope into the strength to go on.

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