A pencil, a sketchbook, and above all, a lot of imagination. These were the seeds that ended up sprouting in the book Hospital Robots, an initiative cultivated by Evelina Moreno to escape from her health problems and give a leading role to her emotions. This 40-year-old woman, who lives in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome in 2022 –a type of bone marrow cancer–, which led her to be hospitalized several times at the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospitals and the Doctor Negrín, where she underwent a transplant in April of the past year.
“I am an illustrator, and I started by drawing many faces with a pencil. Then, I dared to use a pen to create robots and geometric shapes. One day, Dr. Melissa Torres –from Doctor Negrín– saw her name in one of the illustrations and proposed to me to make a book, which motivated me to get to work,” says the patient. Thus, under the pseudonym Evessar, this title was born, which is composed of 40 short stories accompanied by images of robots, some faces, and fantastic characters that have witnessed an important chapter in the life of the protagonist.
Many of the stories are written in the first person. Others, on the other hand, delve into the circuits of cybernetic beings to combine fantasy with reality in the same work. “I dared to self-publish this book and I am hand-binding it. It is true that it gives hope and that I have tried to convey a positive message at all times, but I have not stopped showing the reality of a tough process,” confesses Evelyn – as she is known in her circle–, who also declares her passion for Star Wars and crafts.
Beginnings
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“In reality, she had already shown me some of her illustrations when she came for consultations, and truth be told, I found them incredible. That’s why I proposed to start this project and have each drawing accompanied by an experience,” says Dr. Torres, a haematologist from the Transplant Unit at the Doctor Negrín Hospital.
The story the author outlines dates back to September 2022. “I was down, very depressed, and out of sorts. The first thing I thought was that my iron levels might be very low,” says the patient. To dispel doubts, she requested a blood test and was called one morning to her health center. Just a few hours later, she received a call from the haematologist on duty at the Candelaria hospital. “I remember it was a Friday and I was having lunch. The specialist told me that my haemoglobin and platelets were very low, so she asked me to return to the hospital for more tests,” she recounts.
That very Friday, she underwent more specific tests that detected the presence of “undifferentiated mutant cells.” Three days later, she underwent a bone marrow aspiration, a procedure in which a small sample of the liquid part of this tissue is extracted. The result revealed that Evelyn was suffering from a high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. “The truth is, I didn’t expect it. Moreover, they told me that the only alternative I had was to resort to an allogeneic marrow transplant –one that comes from a donor,” states the affected. From that moment on, she began receiving treatment at the Day Hospital of the same centre to help her generate haemoglobin.
The therapy lasted for a few months. In the meantime, Evelyn was waiting to undergo the transplant, with a sketchbook where she began sketching her first drawings. “They were looking for candidates in the donor bank and also did tests on my immediate family: my parents and my brother,” she comments.
It was her brother who showed a 50% compatibility, but the professionals decided to give more leeway to try to find a person with a higher percentage. Finally, in February 2023, during one of her visits to the hospital, she received the news she had been longing for. Finally, a 100% compatible donor had appeared. However, to undergo the procedure, she had to be transferred to the University Hospital of Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín, as it is the reference centre in the autonomous community for carrying out allogeneic transplants, a practice that involves transferring donor stem cells to the recipient.
“From La Candelaria, they put me in touch with the Alejandro Da Silva Canary Foundation. Thanks to them, my family was able to stay in a house belonging to this institution while I was in the hospital,” points out the patient.
The woman underwent a bone marrow transplant and experienced graft-versus-host disease
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The woman was placed in an isolation chamber on March 28 at the mentioned complex in the capital of Gran Canaria, with a notebook increasingly filled with drawings. Fortunately, on April 5, she underwent the transplant. “I had to receive chemotherapy a few days before and after the process. In addition, I had blood and platelet transfusions,” she informs.
When her immune defenses stabilized, she was discharged. It was May, but she couldn’t return to Tenerife until June. “Every four days, I had to go for check-ups. That’s why it was better to be near the hospital,” explains Evelyn Moreno.
However, this chapter did not close upon returning home. In fact, the patient suffered from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a common complication after a bone marrow transplant, which can be life-threatening. “It was August. I was feeling very unwell and had to go to the Emergency Room several times. It got so bad that I ended up being admitted to La Candelaria,” she recalls.
Complications
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The disease affected her liver and lungs, although the issue with the liver could be easily controlled. However, Evelyn had developed pneumonia “I was hospitalized for about two weeks, and only four days after being discharged, I had to return to the Emergency Room.”
After undergoing a bronchoscopy, the doctors detected the presence of a very rare bacteria, which led to her readmission. “They started giving me an inhaled antibiotic. It was a tough time, but when I started to tolerate it better, I was able to leave the hospital and administer the aerosols myself at home,” says the illustrator.
The therapy continued until November, and she kept attending her regular appointments at Doctor Negrín. As the discomfort persisted, her haematologist prescribed another treatment. Unfortunately, she had to go back to the Emergency Service of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Hospital, where they decided to transfer her by helicopter to Negrín. There, the professionals performed another bronchoscopy and detected a new bacteria. “They prescribed me a specific treatment for GVHD, and as soon as I started, I began to feel better. I stayed in the hospital for a week, and when they discharged me, I spent four days at the Alejandro Da Silva Foundation.”
On the 30th of November, coinciding with her birthday, she returned to Tenerife. Currently, she continues to take corticosteroids and other medications to treat GVHD. Additionally, she must go for monthly check-ups at Doctor Negrín and receive different booster vaccines.
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“It has been a tortuous journey, but throughout this time, I have been able to express myself in some way through drawing. Now, I live day by day and try not to think too much about what might happen tomorrow,” reveals the patient, who aspires to work as a freelancer to unleash her creativity.
A Journey through Experiences and Emotions
A total of 40 illustrations and micro-stories depicting a patient’s experiences with cancer. This is how Hospital Robots is presented, a work by Evelyn Moreno – Evessar – which showcases the reality faced by many affected individuals. “I have tried to summarise this journey to capture many of my experiences in the stories and convey my emotions,” says the author. Take care, More oxygen, Morphine, and Melissa are just a few of the texts featured in this title, where the narratives are grouped into three stages: The Day Hospital, The Rebirth, and The Post-Transplant. “In The Rebirth, I use the metaphor of the phoenix, which rises from its ashes. In my case, I have a birthday like everyone else, but on April 5, 2023, the day of my transplant, I was reborn,” asserts the woman. For Dr. Melissa Torres, haematologist at the Transplant Unit of the University Hospital of Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín, it is an honour to have a story bearing her name. “It was a surprise for me, just like when I found out that she had finally written and illustrated the book. It is truly gratifying as connecting with patients is very important to us,” says the physician, who does not hesitate to praise the great qualities of the author. “She is an artist to me and has a very special essence. I am sure she will continue to publish many projects and achieve everything she sets out to do,” concludes the specialist. | Y.M.
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