Andrés Unshakable Faith

In the outskirts of Bogotá, a 12-year-old boy named Andrés is reclaiming his life, one step at a time. He attends our Liceo Nueva Vida (New Life School). To see him now—a talented left-footed player dreaming of joining the Colombian National Team—it is hard to imagine that just a year ago, his world was confined to hospital corridors and the hum of chemotherapy machines.

The nightmare began with a pain that no child should ever know. "One day I was lying down and in the middle of the night, I felt a horrible pain that I couldn't stand," Andrés recalls. After being misdiagnosed with gastritis by several doctors, his condition worsened until a terrifying turning point: "One specific day, it hurt so much... and then I vomited something black."

It was at the Clínica Infantil where the word no family is ever prepared for was finally spoken: Cancer. The treatment was a grueling marathon. Andrés remembers the physical toll of the chemotherapy cycles: the nausea, the dizziness, and the five-day stretches without being able to eat. But the emotional weight was even heavier. "They gave us hope by saying it was the last one, but then they told us there would be more chemotherapy sessions. I cried; I didn't want to be 'plugged in' anymore, but I had to. My dad cried, we all cried, but we kept going forward with the hand of God."

After the chemo came 24 sessions of radiotherapy: 12 on his abdomen and 12 on his throat. "The radiotherapy left me looking 'ugly'; here on my neck, it turned me black," he says, pointing to the marks on his skin.

For Andrés, school was not just a place to study; it was his home. Having attended the same institution since he was five years old, the threat of the school closing during his illness was a second emotional blow. When he learned it would remain open, it became his motivation to heal.

The school community was deeply moved by his journey. From the donation of a laptop to a scholarship for the school year and constant prayers, Andrés felt the support. "I think it helped me a lot because everyone was praying, and those prayers had a great effect. All the teachers, the principal... I believe that is what pulled me through." The most emotional moment of his return was not a grade or a lesson, but a simple reunion: "When I arrived, my dad [who works at the school] brought my desk to my classroom and we hugged and started crying because I had finally returned."

Today, Andrés is back in seventh grade. He spends his afternoons playing with his sister and his three pets—Owen, Susy, and Loki—and training for the Liga Bogotá. He compares his style of play to that of James Rodríguez or Lucho Díaz.

On May 7th, he faces a final exam—one he hopes will confirm he is officially cancer-free. His faith remains unshaken: "Of course, there is going to be nothing there, thank God." When asked about his future, his eyes shine with the clarity of someone who has already won the toughest battle of his life:

"I want to be a professional soccer player. I am going to achieve it first with God's help, second with the help of my parents, third with the help of the club, and fourth with the support of my school, Liceo Nueva Vida."