Stuck on a train to Barcelona to receive cancer treatment during blackout: 'It was an Odyssey'

Beatriz Molina, 33, was on her way from Valencia to Barcelona for a crucial medical appointment when the massive power outage recorded across Spain on Monday brought everything to a halt. 

She was scheduled for her first assessments ahead of starting CAR-T therapy, a cutting-edge treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma at the Sant Pau Hospital early Tuesday morning. Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, 

Beatriz, who was diagnosed with the disease 12 years ago, was travelling with her father when their Euromed train came to a standstill in the small town of Cabanes, Castelló. Alongside 600 other passengers, they were left stranded, unsure of how, or if, they'd reach the hospital in time. 

"It was an odyssey," she said in an interview with Catalan News Agency ACN, "but looking back, we were lucky." 

The Josep Carreras Foundation, which had helped arrange housing for Beatriz during her therapy, lost contact with her during the outage, but eventually, the foundation’s workers, Marta Fernández and Jasmin Apéstegui, received a message from Beatriz. Once they managed to reconnect, the team acted fast, tracking down a taxi driver willing to make the long overnight trip.  

After hours on the road, Beatriz and her father finally arrived in Barcelona at 3 am just in time to move forward with the life-saving treatment. 

Marta Fernández made her way on foot to the hospital in Barcelona, which was operating on emergency generators, to inform the social work team about Beatriz's situation.  

With no word from her for hours, the team had been left anxious and unsure how to help. But when Beatriz finally managed to send a message around midnight, Fernández sprang into action. 

"We asked ourselves, what do we do now? It was late, but we started making phone calls," she recalls. "Eventually, after several tries, we reached a taxi driver. We explained the urgency of the situation, and thankfully, he didn’t hesitate." 

As the driver headed to pick them up, Fernández and her colleague went to the apartment arranged for Beatriz to ensure the electricity was back on and to prepare something to eat. When Beatriz and her father finally arrived around 3 am, the tension melted away. 

"It was such a relief," Fernández said. "They made it, against all odds. Knowing she wouldn't miss her appointments, it felt like a small victory." 

For patients undergoing cancer treatment, timing is everything. Delays can be daunting, especially when multiple departments and specialists are involved. "What worried me most wasn't the blackout itself," Beatriz's father explained. "It was the fear of missing her appointments, which are scheduled across different departments and calendars." 

Beatriz’s battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma began at 21. She’s already been through chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and two bone marrow transplants, the second from her sister, who was a perfect match. Now, with CAR-T ahead of her, she's determined to keep moving forward, and to spread the word about the importance of bone marrow donation. 

"I want people to know they're not alone in this," she says.