Puerto Rico's State Lead Ambassador

Caroline Torres Maldonado, J.D.

“Life is 99% of the time about reactions to events outside of our control and 1% to actions of those we can control.” -Caroline

Hello! I am Caroline Torres Maldonado, Principal Ambassador of Puerto Rico. In 2013 I was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancerous tissue tumor. At 28 years old, my physical and mental health was seriously affected by Cancer. For almost a year I went through all the stages that a Cancer patient experiences on our beloved Island of Puerto Rico. This includes diagnosis, decision making, navigation of options, treatments, interventions, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the consequences of the disease. There I learned first-hand the challenges faced by our cancer patients in Puerto Rico and the needs and vulnerabilities of the health system that affect the treatment and survival expectations of patients. I suffered firsthand from not knowing how to cover exorbitant deductibles and from not receiving authorizations for studies at a time when life depends on it. With luck, work and by the grace of God I was able to go through the disease and emerge victorious as a SURVIVOR of it. But not so many friends, family and other compatriots who did not have the same luck.

Over the years I understood that having Cancer is tough, but it is tougher to navigate the disease and the processes that it entails. I understood that my pain, indignation and feeling of helplessness had to evolve and mutate towards a greater purpose. It was necessary to educate, inform, and help people who suffered from this disease from another perspective. I didn't know how to start or what to do and I used the simplest thing I had at my disposal, social networks. For months I shared information of interest, helped friends and family navigate their treatments and little by little the word of this spread until I was connecting with people who had the same goal on the island. As a lawyer, I began to work and collaborate in public policy in different associations and entities related to cancer on the island and I was able to understand that through the promotion of laws and public policy I could maximize my efforts and help more people through efforts concentrated on patient social advocacy. This purpose evolved until today, starting the creation of a base of social advocacy volunteers on the island through ACS CAN.

My super power was my pain, my illness, and the blessings that God allowed me to experience 10 years after my diagnosis. Why me and not others? I will never know, but every day I try to speak for those who are not there and that my story and that of many can change the possibility of advancing laws and regulations in favor of patients and survivors.

You can do the same, it is NOT necessary to know about laws or politics, just know that our history and that of ours is powerful and can create an echo so great that it saves lives.

Join me to save lives and turn the ordinary of an illness into the extraordinary.
​