ROANOKE, Va. – Beating the odds, then helping others do the same.
That’s the story of Roanoke county native, Juanita Prada who is a survivor of childhood cancer.
Prada was just 10 years old when she got sick in 2003.
“My diagnosis was pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is a leukemia of the blood,” explained Prada. “Everything was in panic mode. I didn’t really understand. At the time, I associated cancer with dying.”
After a three-year battle, she beat the odds, not once but twice, after she suffered a central nervous system relapse in 2006 of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Now as an adult, Prada struggles with what is called the “late effects” of childhood cancer.
“The chemotherapy, the radiation, the procedures they all affect the brain. And that’s something that many people don’t talk about or know about,” said Prada.
Dr. Mandy Atkinson, the Carilion Pediatric Oncologist who worked on Juanita’s case, spoke about the number of late effects survivors of the childhood cancer experience.
“You could have short-term memory loss, deficiencies in your processing speeds, you can have problems with your mind’s organization,” said Dr. Atkinson.
Late effects were at the forefront of Prada’s mind in 2019, when she decided to create her advocacy group, “BeholdBeGold.”
“That is what BeholdBeGold is about. A movement connecting survivors, connecting the community, and learning, giving resources,” Prada said.
Life has now come full circle for Prada, advocating for others where she was once a patient at Carilion’s Pediatric Oncology Office.
Prada serves as a volunteer working with children who have cancer, working toward her long-term goal of becoming a child life specialist.
“I feel like it’s my purpose, it’s my mission to come in and try to bring that sense of peace and your mind that is currently happening,” said Prada.