Escarly Albujar had only five months left to finish her missionary service in La Paz, Bolivia, when doctors found a football-sized tumor in the middle of her lungs. Her life took a bigger turn for the worse when she heard the news that she would have to leave her mission to return immediately to her home country of Peru for treatment.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Albujar. “I kept thinking, ‘Why me?’” Despite her diagnosis, she begged her mission president, President Fabian Vallejo, to allow her to continue to serve, thinking she could seek treatment after her mission was completed. Fortunately, he understood the seriousness of her illness. The next day, Albujar took the first flight to Lima, Peru, to begin treatment and diagnose the type of cancer she had.
In Lima, Albujar was immediately taken to a specialized clinic. After many tests, doctors determined that she had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer, and it was spreading rapidly. She was told she would need to start radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments as soon as possible. Albujar’s mother, Martha López, who is not a member of the Church, left everything behind in her native Chincha, Peru, to travel the three hours to Lima to dedicate all of her time to her daughter’s care.
Story by Melina M. Galvez de León; images from the Albujar family.
