HOLLAND — Carmela Bianchi-Rodriguez has spent years searching for answers.
Several years ago, she developed muscle weakness, dizziness and neuropathy. She bruised easily, among other symptoms. Doctors at first believed she was suffering from a blood and iron condition. Her red blood cells were abnormally shaped, so her body would attack them, and her body couldn’t retain iron.
But three years ago, after countless additional visits, Bianchi-Rodriguez was diagnosed with colon cancer.
“It’s been a rough road,” Bianchi-Rodriguez said. “It’s been a very rough road and it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.”
At the time of her diagnosis, doctors estimated, even with treatment, Bianchi-Rodriguez had about five years to live. She’s currently considered to be in semi-remission and goes in every three to six months for bloodwork and CAT scans.
“In my head, I know that I’m sick but I also don’t want to act like I’m sick, so I still go on like I’m the same person, just without working,” she said. “It gets really bad when I’m down. I can’t walk, I don’t like to eat, I have nonepileptic seizures. It’s just a mess.”