Victoria, the six-year-old from Malaga who is waiting for a bone marrow donor
María del Mar Fernández, the mother of the little girl who is being treated for leukaemia after suffering a relapse in June, is promoting a campaign that has gone viral to raise awareness of the importance of becoming a donor
Victoria Esperanza Martín Fernández is a six-year-old girl from Malaga who, after beating leukaemia on one occasion, suffered a relapse in June this year. The chemotherapy is not giving the desired result this time and she needs a bone marrow donor. Her family have chosen to not remain quiet, as it often happens when a health crisis strikes. Instead, they have used the opportunity to launch a campaign and raise awareness about the importance of becoming a donor, not only for their daughter, but also for anybody who needs it to survive.
Victoria's parents created a poster telling her story. Since then, the poster has been shared by the Crucifixión brotherhood. The number of people becoming interested in the campaign is growing all the time. "We want Victoria to bring hope to many people who are waiting for a bone marrow donor," says María del Mar Fernández, the child's mother.
She spoke to SUR from the hospital in Seville where the little girl is being treated. "She was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was three years old. The first chemo treatment went very well: she had two and a half years of treatment and we finished in May 2024," María says.
The little girl, now six years old, relapsed in June 2025. The treatment that followed was much harder. Her mother is not sure whether it was because the cancer is more aggressive or because of the previous treatment weakening Victoria's defences. In September, the doctors told them that the chemo was not working as well as before and that Victoria needs a bone marrow transplant.
'We are waiting for our donor'
María says that many people donate blood but not bone marrow, because they don't know how important it is. She explains that donors cannot choose who to donate to - there first has to be a match, so she is not asking that people to go to the centre for transfusions with Victoria's photo. With the campaign, she hopes that Victoria's story touches people's hearts and they go to Malaga's Centro de Transfusión, Tejidos y Células centre to just "fill out a form, undergo a blood test" and wait for a potential call that will tell them that there has been a match, whoever the beneficiary might be. "You can be lucky enough to be called and you can save a life. This is the process we are in, waiting for our donor," Victoria's mother says.
Since they launched the campaign, the number of bone marrow donors has been rising. In Malaga, for example, the number has gone from one or two to between ten and 15.
Facing adversity with faith and hope is the motto of a courageous mother in the face of her daughter's illness
Victoria's family is part of one of the many religious associations and brotherhoods. The saint they honour is the Virgen de la Esperanza (the Virgin of Hope), which is why they are facing their little girl's illness with resilience and positivity that marks every day. María says that the disease has taught them to live in the present, as each day is unpredictable - Victoria might wake up with her defences low or she might be in a state good enough to spend the day playing like any other child.
"There is already one person who has donated"
Thanks to the campaign, one person has already become a successful donor. The procedure was carried out on 21 October. "We know that there are children who have been waiting for a donor for months and have found one. I am still waiting for Victoria's - she is doing very well, strong and talking to everyone," the mother says.
"I want there to be many donors, I am a superhero and I want to save all lives," Victoria herself says in the video that is part of the campaign.
