The Present Moment

Lelia’s Story

Hello! My name is Lelia Stina and I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I moved to New York City as an international student in 2002 at the age of 24. I met my husband, Michael, in Brooklyn, and we joined his family in Rome, Georgia after my first son, Luca, was born. With all our lives packed in a truck, we left the city life behind and moved to our farmhouse in the spring of 2012.

Working hard towards our goals and future, we learned how to garden and keep up with the land.

I remember being so happy to find The Montessori School of Rome (MSOR). I've always found myself interested in Maria Montessori's method to educate a child, and I owned a few of her books before I became a mother. Not only was MSOR the ideal environment for Luca to start his education at 18 months, but it was also great for me, allowing us to learn together! I found an amazing community of parents and educators that support us all along the way.

While Michael was still commuting for work between home and New York, I started a job at Harvest Moon Cafe in Downtown Rome. This restaurant became my second home and offered countless opportunities and support, even more so when our second son, Liam, was born. 

Harvest Moon Cafe allowed me to thrive not only professionally, but also in Rome's community, doing what I do best - serving others and making them feel at home. I was delighted to be part of management for many years, helping the business grow and becoming the General Manager in 2019.  

For a while I had been experiencing vision changes, and by the fall of 2020 I was contributing it to stress, my astigmatism, and the craziness of navigating a busy year during a pandemic. It wasn't until the beginning of 2021 that I got checked out by Harbin Clinic Eye Center in Rome, who discovered that a nerve on my left eye wasn't working. To rule out any life-threatening causes, the ophthalmologist sent me to do an MRI immediately. 

You are never prepared to receive news of this magnitude... Harbin Clinic Neurology delivered the results of the MRI, and I was officially diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The neurosurgeons at Harbin, Jason Harrison, and fellow parents in the MSOR community referred me to Emory. I learned that I have a diffuse glioma in the brainstem. These kinds of tumors are rare in adults, more common in children, and the prognosis is strikingly hard at nine months to five years of life.

By the beginning of March, I started radiation treatment at the Proton Therapy Center at Emory in Atlanta. 

I commuted every day of the week for six straight weeks into the city for daily treatments. I keep this journey close to my heart, as friends and family took turns to drive me and made it possible for me to make every treatment, despite traffic and severe weather! 

The staff at the Proton Therapy Center at Emory showed me so much care and professionalism in every aspect of my treatment. My radiologist, Dr Shu, and his team kept me closely monitored and kindly answered all my questions with a hint of hope. A few weeks after radiation treatment began, side effects kicked in hard! I began experiencing severe fatigue, loss of appetite, dizziness, and nausea. A new MRI was done shortly after which showed success of a 20-30% reduction! 

This Mother’s Day, the community of Rome got together for a fundraiser brunch to celebrate mothers called "Pancakes on a School Day." I got this idea a few days after my diagnosis. I woke up earlier than usual, and I made homemade pancakes for the boys on a school day.

It absolutely made my day when Luca came downstairs to the kitchen and surprisingly and excitingly said, “what? Pancakes on school day?”. He thanked me all day, until the end of that day. While I was tucking him in bed and saying goodnight, he added,

“Mommy you really surprised me today, thank YOU for making the pancakes.”

In partnership with Summit Quest and Harvest Moon Cafe, Montessori School of Rome raised over $10,000 to support my medical bills, in addition to a Gofoundme that exceeded the initial goal, thanks to the immense generosity of people, far and near across the globe!

After a month of much needed rest without treatment, my oncologist at Emory, Dr Voloschin, set the chemotherapy treatment to begin in July. Unfortunately, after trying it for two rounds, I found myself allergic to the drug. The most recent MRI results show it is stable, and a new chemotherapy treatment is set up for me to begin in September 2021.

It has been a year of many changes, in both big and small ways. The pandemic has shown human behavior at its worst and at its best. I find comfort and peace in solitude, when I can refer to the spirit within for guidance and feel the love and support of my friends and family.

To reflect on one's own mortality is emotional and profound, and some folks might never have the opportunity to do so.

My heart is full of gratitude for everyone and everything. We really don't know what the future holds or what new discoveries science can bring…we don't have guarantees; we only have the present moment, and that's a gift! 

While you can, make the best of it. Don't forget to be kind with your words; we don't all have to agree all the time, but it shows divine strength to hold the reins of your temper and speech. No matter what provokes you, behave yourself, and let it roll...

  "The future's uncertain and the end is always near".  

Much love to y'all, Lelia.