Fight Cancer. Make Time. > Caroline Torres Maldonado
Nothing can prepare you for a cancer diagnosis — ever — but especially in your 20s. For Caroline Torres Maldonado, battling cancer at age 28 was the last thing she expected at a time when her career and life were just falling into place.
Caroline was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancerous tissue tumor, in 2013, which took a significant toll on her physical and mental health. Suddenly, her life was consumed with her diagnosis and every stage of the cancer journey — the decision making, navigation of options, treatments, interventions, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the long-term effects of the disease.
Living in Puerto Rico, she did not have access to as many resources and faced challenges knowing how to cover exorbitant costs and receive authorizations for life-saving studies. On top of fighting cancer, Caroline also faced the difficulty of learning how to navigate treatment and the complex healthcare system.
“I learned first-hand the challenges cancer patients in Puerto Rico face, and the needs and vulnerabilities of the health system that affect treatment and survival expectancy of patients,” she said.
Fortunately, Caroline survived, and decided to use her experience for good and take the lessons she learned to help others. “Life is 99% of the time about reactions to events outside of our control,” she said, “And 1% about actions we can control.”
Caroline started small by sharing her story through social media to help friends and family, but soon word spread across the island, and she connected with people who had similar goals. She used her background as a lawyer to collaborate with different organizations and stakeholders to advocate for laws and policies that supported cancer patients. This led her to start volunteering with ACS CAN in 2021. She’s been instrumental in building a volunteer team in Puerto Rico — recruiting 30 advocates from universities and law schools — and hosted the island’s first-ever Cancer Action Day in 2023.
“My superpower was my pain, my illness and the blessings that God allowed me to experience 10 years after my diagnosis,” Caroline said. “Why me and not others? I will never know, but every day I try to speak for those who are not there, and hope that my and other’s stories can change the possibility of advancing laws and regulations in favor of patients and survivors.”
When she’s not advocating, Caroline loves to spend time outdoors hiking and enjoying the beautiful beaches and rivers on the island. She is grateful for a healthy, strong body that allows her to travel and play tennis — simple joys that she doesn’t take for granted.
While Caroline is thankful for the time she’s had to use her story for good, her greatest purpose and joy have been adopting her two daughters. After having her uterus removed due to the cancer, she thought she’d lost her chance of becoming a mother. Her daughters have been unexpected blessings who bring immeasurable happiness to each day. Whether she’s picking them up from school or taking them on a new, outdoor adventure, every moment with them is a reminder of what she’s gained in her survivorship.
“I’m grateful to have the best and more adventurous days ahead of me, and to be able to show patients and survivors that once you had cancer, the worst already happened and your best years — a life with no fears or limits — are ahead of you.”