With heart-wrenching words, her sister publicly said goodbye to Rafaela Pitsikali, the 21-year-old who moved the Panhellenic nation with her personal battle with cancer that ended with her death on Wednesday.
Maria Pitsikali, in her TikTok post that she "dressed up" with photos from Rafaela's life and the song "Water in our boat", declares "I am proud to be your sister" and wishes that "one day my children will look like you ».
“I will come to meet you my little sister. It's time and it's over. See you again, my Raphaelitsa, I love you," concludes the sister of 21-year-old Raphaela.
All the touching text of Raphaela's sister Pitsikalis
"People don't die until we forget them. You inspired me, you made me stronger, more colorful, but above all you made me appreciate every moment. You became an angel Thank you for all our moments my brave creature. I'm proud to be your sister. I hope one day my children look like you. I will come to meet you my little sister. It's time and it's over. See you again, my Rafaelitsa, I love you #rafaelapitsikali 24.01.2024".
The story of Rafaela
The young girl from Chania was hospitalized from the beginning of August 2023 at the specialized MD-Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, constantly having her mother, Vesi, and at regular intervals her father, Andreas, who traveled from Chania in the United States of America to be next to the second of the family's four children.
In order to make it possible for her to be hospitalized for months at the specific Anti-Cancer Center, a large amount of money had to be collected, which was made possible thanks to the mobilization of many people, who responded to the call that the family had addressed.
The life of the Pitsikali family changed dramatically in June 2020, when the then 17-year-old Haniotissa was admitted to the Attikon Hospital with severe pain and little response to painkillers. The diagnosis changed her entire life: Ewing's sarcoma.
Since then, he fought a very difficult "battle" every day, with courage and a smile. Chemotherapy, hospitalization and a long stay at the "Elpida" Oncology Hospital followed. Then he had to be operated on in Greece to remove the tumor.
In October 2021 there was the first recurrence, which was treated with a second operation and radiation. In May 2023, there was, unfortunately, a second relapse.
The family of Raphaela Pitsikalis, after the decision of the treating doctors that a new operation cannot be carried out in Greece, decided to turn to Cancer Centers abroad and thus Raphaela's visit to the specialist MD-Anderson Cancer was scheduled for August 8, 2023 Center, in Houston, USA, where she remained until the moment she breathed her last.
In her last video, on New Year's Day, Rafaela Pitsikali, clearly overwhelmed, continued to send messages of hope, with wishes for health to the whole world, while the next day she posted a family photo, writing: "May the new year bring us he found in the hospital but the most important thing was that he found us together. Thank you very much for always being by my side in the good times and the bad... next year we will all be home together. I love you".
In her latest post, she was referring to one of her "most beautiful moments" at the Houston Rockets stadium with her family.
Rafaela's "thank you" to Mitsotakis in July
Last July, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Health Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis offered a solution to young Raphaela after she posted a message of despair, in which she stated that despite the recurrence of her disease, hospitals refused to admit her.
This need was immediately responded to by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health who saw to it that she was admitted to the "Mother" hospital in order to receive the necessary treatment for her health. They both contacted the 19-year-old by phone and were personally interested in her great health adventure.
Through a new post, the 19-year-old Raphaela then shared with the people who follow her on social media the initiative of Mitsotakis and Chrysochoidis for their support.
Rafaela's "thank you" post:
"I want to share with you what happened today, thanking the Prime Minister @kyriakos_ and the Minister of Health @mchrisochoidis, who contacted me by phone and took a personal interest in my great health adventure. Their sincere interest and the assurance that they will always be by my side give me strength and optimism to continue the fight for life, together with my people who have been by my side from the beginning. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who are thinking of me, caring, praying for me and donating money for the big trip to Houston. I hope and wish that other children and other people will always have similar support and help from the state. Institutionally, in the field of health services, the care and care gap for the adolescent-early young age must be covered. That is, children who have faced a serious health issue or a chronic issue, and when they grow up they are "lost" between different doctors, hospitals, medical histories and repeated examinations without a common point of reference.
Source: protothema.gr