Leading up to her friend’s wedding in Greece, Gutierrez had a period that last for two weeks. But she’d had irregular periods before, so she didn’t feel concerned.
Sandra and sister Julissa Gutierrez enjoyed Greece for a few days before Sandra Gutierrez received a life-changing diagnosis.Courtesy Sandra Gutierrez She did notice what she thought was jet lag after arriving in Crete. But doctors explained that her abnormal blood counts had caused her fatigue. She was told she couldn't leave the hospital.Gutierrez missed her friend’s wedding on Aug. 27 and all the fun excursions she and her sister, Julissa Gutierrez, had planned. On the Tuesday following the wedding, doctors finally diagnosed her with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.She immediately asked how she could return home for treatment.
“Americans are not set up to pay bills in the European Union,” she says. “They do it very differently.”