Ensaio de Helena, On Helena, describes the unbearable pain of losing a child to cancer. Helena was five when she lost her battle against cancer. The parents, Tatiana and Luiz Maurício, have sought and found solace for the loss embarking upon singular ventures.

Tatiana wrote this essay: a poignant account of a mother that sees her beloved daughter’s life wane. Unstintingly, Tatiana devotes herself to giving as much joy and happiness to her darling daughter. Never does Tatiana speak about herself, about her immeasurable pain - the focus is her Helena, rather ‘Nena’, as she calls her affectively. The reader falls in love with tiny and brave Helena easily as she fights her illness and lives through her trials and tribulations with much courage. Helena died in 1997. In addition, Tatiana does not lose sight of Helena’s brother maintaining as normal a life for him as possible. Likewise, her husband shares the daily challenges with her as she does with him.

In 1999, a venture that will certainly make the lives of scores of children suffering from cancer as well as their families more bearable for many generations to come was launched. The Helena Piccardi de Andrade Silva Association, AHPAS, was an initiative of grieving parents. This charity aims at providing specialized transport during the challenging periods of hospital treatment in the capital city of São Paulo in the state with the same name in Brazil. Children and teenagers suffering from cancer face huge challenges and much suffering during their cancer treatment. São Paulo, a huge metropolis, is not one of the easiest places for traffic or transport in the world. The Brazilian public health system lacks ambulances or specialized transport. This initiative is, therefore, a godsend to those living with cancer.

There are two texts supporting the effort of these remarkable parents on the sleeves of the book. Dr. Vicente Odone Filho, Paediatric Oncologist of the University of São Paulo and of the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital writes:

'The loss of somebody we love is always challenging. Life teaches us that those that we bring to the world will depart long after we have. It is the natural order of things; this is what we expect from the moment we are conscious of ourselves as human beings. The breach of this natural sequence imposes a sort of pain on those that have had the misfortune, the extent of which we can only remotely guess.

However, those that leave us want us to continue living for the essence of life: which is daily struggle, dedication, dreaming and practicing love. The Helenas that remain with us need as much commitment. To share both emotion and tenderness in the daily life is more often than not angst. It is minimizing the material difficulties that we often come across. This is the best way to remind us of them. By the same token, we pay homage to the beloved ones we lost.'

Dr Alberto Levy, a family friend, was the doctor and founder member of The Brazilian Society of Allergy and Immunology (SBAI) who also went through the pain of losing his beloved wife to cancer, adds his words of wisdom:

'With much emotion, Tatiana describes her attachment to her daughter, her struggle, moments of joy amidst the crisis, her dreams…. What is important is the battle. Religious people teach us not to lament our great losses. Their prayers glorify the Creator and praise His power. They never mention sadness. It is the fighting spirit that uplifts us from the hollow of depression and despondency. One needs to be strong. One needs to be strong to face and win over the challenges. It is then that the miracle of solidarity emerges. The sum of the most varied energies consolidates the grounding for great achievements. Tatiana and Luiz Maurício are pursuing this battle. We know how and when it started, and now as they advance, they can count on the company of wonderful friends.'

Silvina Lanzana, a dear friend, told me about AHPAS and Tatiana’s Ensaio de Helena in our regular e-mail exchanges. Silvina herself has been a keen AHPAS supporter and collaborator. She praised Tatiana’s ‘delicate and intense’ essay. She mentioned that Tatiana told her that the essay was ‘the therapy Tatiana chose to live through what she needed to live through’. She published it in 2006. Tatiana kindly sent me a copy. I was enthralled by it. The Next Story, which is the third part of this book, has a magical fantastic quality of fairy tales and the body of the essay itself is a beautifully crafted narrative of unthinkable moments of a mother’s life. The title in English, On Helena, is styled in the manner of old-time essays. The author not only narrates about her daughter singularly but offers a solace for others who are facing the loss of beloved ones to cancer. Equally, it offers comfort to those who are grieving their losses to this implacable set of diseases. On Helena will hopefully console many until the time medical research finds some way of eradicating it for good.

Any mistakes or shortcomings in this translation are my own fault. This is a modest contribution to this most noble cause pursued by Helena’s parents.

Nadia (D. Lewtchuk) Kerecuk
London May 2007
Translator of Ensaio de Helena into English.

To read the entire version of On Helena, click here.