Elizaveta is a Canadian model, she has light eyes, long blonde hair and she is beautiful.
In 2014 she was 24 and had a wonderful life. She traveled continuously, from New York to Milan, from London to Hong Kong. The world of fashion was at her feet. She had a partner who adored her and they were expecting a baby.
One May morning she woke up with a swollen, sore cheek. Days and weeks went by but the pain was becoming more and more unbearable and after two months of medical checks here was the terrible diagnosis: Elizaveta was suffering from a rare form of osteosarcoma in the jaw.
In order to survive, she would have to have her jaw removed immediately and undergo long courses of chemotherapy. The doctors advised her to terminate the pregnancy because the long anesthesia would be too high a risk for the baby, which she would still be almost certain that she would remain disabled.
In a few moments, Elizaveta’s future was swept away, her career with her colors and lights was over, her dreams broken into a thousand pieces. She would also have to give up her baby, who she already felt moving inside her and with whom she enjoyed talking.
She was left with the darkness of a frightening present and a great enemy to face.
She underwent a delicate 16-hour surgery for the almost complete removal and partial reconstruction of the jaw. The surgery went well but it took her at least a month to find the courage to look in the mirror again.
Meanwhile, the date of the abortion had been set, Elizaveta still felt her baby moving inside her and asked him not to move anymore because she knew that by now she could no longer carry the pregnancy. But it was at that moment, when the baby really stopped moving, that Elizaveta understood how much that bond of love was already strong and intense, and she decided that she would not give up on him.
In agreement with the team of doctors, the chemotherapy cycles were postponed in order to carry the pregnancy as far as possible. Valentin was born premature, in his thirtieth week, but fortunately, he was a strong and healthy baby and from that moment on he will be the source of all the energy and courage of his mother, especially in the most difficult moments.
After another year of chemotherapy cycles, after so many injuries and physical difficulties, Elizaveta is healed and she wanted to share her story by posting her healing path on Instagram to give strength to those who are struggling for their health.
Elizaveta didn’t just defeat osteosarcoma. Thanks to her testimony, we learn that one can draw strength from one’s frailties. As in the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi which uses gold to repair broken objects to make them unique and precious as well as stronger, Elizaveta’s scars have also become a source of strength and an integral part of her new beauty.
