1972 - Bless Me, Ultima

The school year of 1971-1972 was one of the most positive pivotal points in my life. I was 16 years old. I had lived on Magnolia Street in Amarillo my whole life. It was the perfect neighborhood for kids to go up in. I knew someone on almost every block. I spent my summers at Thompson Park swimming at the pool all day and hanging out at Wonderland at night. Weekends we would often visit the zoo. I had gone to school with the same kids since elementary school. 

My life drastically changed the last week of my freshman year at Horace Mann Junior High. I had the measles and will very ill for 2 weeks. When I returned to school, I was sitting Science class and had a seizure. Years later, I was told by a doctor that sometimes those who contract measles develop brain inflammation, which frequently leads to seizures and other serious neurological symptoms.There was nothing worse than a seizure to transform a social butterfly to a misunderstood teenager who sits in her room, listening to Bob Dylan records. I struggled through my sophomore year, going to school half a day and working half day. In the fall of 1971, I was not looking forward to go to my junior year at Palo Duro High. To make it even more stressful, the city of Amarillo closed the only all black high school in the Texas Panhandle and bused the students to the other schools. Desegregation was turbulent shift for most of the United States and Amarillo made it even more awkward by just closing the black school leaving them no gathering place in their part of town, just so that white kids didn't have to be bused. Students were acting out and rightfully so. My friend Regina's parents sent her to Alamo, the private Catholic high school. That would have been my preference so I started skipping school and going to school with her. Monsignor Matthiesen was the principal at Alamo High. He knew my family well because he was the founding pastor of St. Laurence Cathedral where we attended church and my dad was an active member of the Knights of Columbus. He was more than happy to have me in photography class. But instead of enrolling me at Alamo, my parents decided to take me to Puerto de Luna, New Mexico to live with my 88 year old blind, Spanish speaking grandmother, Rosita Valdez Padilla. She lived on the family farm with her 2 bachelor sons, Uncle Jose and Uncle Mac, who were both characters. Sounds like aa disaster waiting to happen doesn't it? My parents wanted to show me how difficult life really could be. Much to my their surprise, after 2 weeks, they drove 170 miles to bring me back to Texas. But I didn't budge. I'd become the social butterfly again and made life long friends. My teachers loved me and I loved the farm life in my parent's little home town. My Uncle Gilbert and Aunt Rita lived next door with their 8 lively children and life was a new adventure.  I can honestly say it was one of the best years of my life.

Christina in Distributive Education Class
Santa Rosa High School 1972

Santa Rosa High was a beautiful 12 mile drive down a winding road along the Pecos River in a school bus picking up kids who I now know to be cousins. The first day I went to the cafeteria for lunch, I was served pinto beans, potatoes, green chile and a tortilla. It was the first time in my life I had eaten a traditional New Mexican meal in public. My thought was "I Am Finally Home!" If I had only known then what I know now! It wasn't until about 2010 that I started doing ancestry research and discovered that many of my new friends were related to me, sometimes on both sides of the family because our ancestors had lived in that small community for many, many years. In fact I just discovered last year that my grandfather, Ascension Padilla had given land on either side of my grandparents farm to his female first cousins so they too could have farms in West Puerto de Luna. My mother really didn't like the idea of me living there because she was afraid I would unknowingly marry a cousin. HaHa and I would have! Yet, she never told me who my cousins were and how we were related.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, that same year of 1972, Rudolfo Anaya published his landmark debut novel, Bless Me, Ultima. Rudy was 34 and had been born in Pastura, NM just about 20 miles from Puerto de Luna as the crow flies. It's widely regarded as the most widely read and critically acclaimed novel in the New Mexican Literature Canon. The cornerstone of contemporary New Mexican literature was a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story written about Puerto de Luna, Santa Rosa and Pastura, New Mexico during WWII in the 1940s. I didn't read the book until after I saw the movie. The story is semi-autobiographical told from the point of view of 6 year old Antonio Márez y Luna as he navigates cultural, religious, and moral challenges with the mentorship of an old revered curandera (traditional spiritual healer) who comes to live with his family. She was known as Ultima. 

What were the chances that Bless Me Ultima would be published the same year I went to live with my grandma while learning the same lessons that he learned when Ultima came to live with his family. We were both learning from a whole community of people that we were very connected to. Rudolfo gave the main character Antonio the last name Marez y Luna honoring his mother, who had been born in Puerto de Luna. She had traditional Catholic beliefs and wanted Antonio to be a priest. His father was a cowboy who wanted to move to California. Without going deep into my family tree, I am related to Rudolfo Anaya and Ultima, AKA Anastacia Lucero Bonney. A dear friend of mine, Jasmine is Ultima's great great granddaughter. She's had a store in Santa Rosa, NM called "Casa de Ultima" for a few years but she is closing soon but she sells her homemade herbal remedies and soaps at farmer's markets in Las Vegas, New Mexico. She always takes the Ultima doll that I made for her and displays her with her goods.

Rudolfo was a huge inspiration to me. He passed away 6 years ago today on June 28, 2020 and I am so happy that he didn't leave this world with his stories still inside of him. I saw myself in his stories and it gave me permission to tell my story. I went to see him once at a bookstore in Austin having a book signing. I was to shy to tell him that my parents were from Puerto de Luna. 

I write my blog because I miss New Mexico. I want to keep my very unusually rich New Mexican family story alive. My son Christian and my deceased brother Phillip always being my biggest cheerleaders. Christian said to me once "Mom, you don't even know how many times a week I brag about the work you do, researching our family history and writing our story." It warms my heart to know that he understands how important it is. If I die without telling my stories, our history dies with me. Before my dear brother Phillip pasted away, he would remind me that I am the keeper of the stories and the family history. Before me, my mother was the keeper of  family history and her mother was the keeper of her generation. I feel honored that their Curanderismo was passed down to me. I realize now that is why my grandma Rosita always had a constant stream of people coming to her house to listen to her stories. 

My Mom and Grandma
Agnes Padilla Fajardo
and Rosita Valdez Padilla

Ultima, AKA Anastacia Lucero Bonney died August 15, 1954, 9 months before I was born. Frida Kahlo was died on July 13, 1954, 10 months before I was born. I find it very interesting that two of the women who had huge influences on me died the year before I was born. I don't believe energy dies and I have read that when someone who profoundly influenced you died the year before you were born, often symbolizes a spiritual, symbolic passing of the torch. My grandma Rosita died a year before Adriane was born so I named her Adriane Rose for the same reason.

---->  Click here to watch a really good YouTube video called "Meet Rudolfo Anaya"

My mother told me years ago that we were related to Rudolfo Anaya on my dad's side of the family. She made sure I knew it was on Daddy's side because she didn't like that Rudy wrote about his pagan beliefs. As it turns out, he is my 6th cousin 2x removed on his dad's side of the family and and he is the stepson of my second cousin 2x removed on his mom's side of the family. Both of those connections are through my dad's side of the family. 

June is Cavernous Malformation Awareness Month - June 15 Specifically - To Raise Awareness

June is International Cavernous Angioma Awareness Month

Cerebral Cavernous Malformations or CCM also known as Cavernous Angioma. In the UK the disease is known as Cavernomas. The different names reflect the ongoing understanding and classification of mulberry-shaped abnormal blood vessel with thin, leaky walls that occur most often on the brain and spine. (They can also occur on other parts of the body) Cavernous Angiomas in the brain can cause:

• Burning & Weakness in Arms & Legs
• Balance Issues
• Seizures
• Vision Changes
• Strokes
• Headaches
• And other Neurological Problems 

Brain bleeds can lead to potentially life-threatening complications. Often misdiagnosed as hemorrhagic tumors, multiple sclerosis, or metastatic cancer. Unfortunately there is no medication to treat the condition and surgery is the only option. The biggest issue is that people are most often misdiagnosed. 

Some of the most common misdiagnoses for Cavernous Angiomas are:

• Brain Tumors
• Stroke
• Epilepsy
• Multiple Sclerosis

Through research and advocacy efforts, the Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation is working to improve the lives of individuals affected by CCMs and ultimately find a cure.

• CCM1 depletes Vitamin D over time, which can impact muscle and bone strength. All patients with CCM1 should take a Vitamin D supplement.
• There is a connection between gut bacteria and an increased formation of lesions and bleeds. This connection appears strongest with foods that contain emulsifiers, ingredients like soy lecithin, carrageenan, polysorbate and others that help liquids combine in processed foods.
• Antibiotics that treat gram-positive bacteria also play a role. A reduction in gram positive bacteria in the gut allows the proliferation of gram-negative bacteria. The excess growth of gram-negative bacteria leads to a “leaky” gut and inflammation that can lead to the formation of more lesions. Antibiotics that treat gram-positive infections should be taken for the minimum time necessary.

Cerebral Cavernous Malformations are broken down in into 3 groups:

(KRIT1)CCM1

CCM2

(PDCD10) CCM3

Cavernous Malformations are hereditary in about 20% of people who have the illness. These are known as Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformation or FCCM. They are caused by a gene mutation and passed down from generation to generation. The hereditary form of FCCM does not skip generations and each child of an affected person has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the illness. Those who have inherited FCCM usually have multiple Cavernous Malformations throughout their lives that get worse with age. 

The CCM1 gene mutation is so prevalent among descendants of early Spanish settlers in New Mexico that it's been called the "Common Hispanic Mutation" and it is VERY common in my bloodline. The most common type of FCCM in New Mexico is CCM1, which is caused by a mutation of the KRIT1 gene. Most often found in Hispanic-American families descended from the Baca family. When I first heard of the "Common Hispanic Mutation" it was thought that the only one that was hereditary was CCM1 but today I read that CCM1, CCM2, and CCM3 are hereditary. I am going to have to do some more research.

It's important to know that it is considered a rare disease, not because it is rare to have this condition but it is rare to be correctly diagnosed. Actually about 1 in 200 people are affected by Cerebral Cavernous Malformations. I personally have tried to speak to all of my general practitioners and neurologists over the years and it is rare to find a doctor who is familiar with the disease.

The unthinkable occurred this past year. My dear brother Phillip had been suffering from seizures for about 15 years. He was diagnosed with a "brain tumor" 15 years ago and his doctor specifically said his "tumor" looked like purple mulberry-shaped abnormal blood vessels. He told him that he probably only had a couple of years to live because his "tumor" would come back. For the next 15 years Phillip had migraines all the time, he occasional had seizures. Last year in May 2025 he had a CT scan and was diagnosed with yet another "brain tumor" He couldn't have an MRI, which is the only way to detect CCM. While he was in ICU, I asked his wife to mention the Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformations that are hereditary in our family to no avail. Phillip had multiple seizures and 3 brain bleeds and died in Hospice care on September 4, 2025 due to his last severe brain bleed. Rest in Peace my dear brother.

I have written in my blog about this subject more than once over the years because it's a huge part of my every day life not just because the illness itself is very difficult to live with but because I have to spend so much more time and money on my medications and annual tests.

Clinical trials are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of atorvastatin in stabilizing CCMs. Fortunately I already take atorvastatin for my heart condition. 

I have blogged about my journey over the years just to keep track and in hopes that I may find others who have more information than I do. I was contacted by two doctors, one from the University of Texas El Paso and another from the at the University of Texas Dallas who had found my blog at the same time and realized I had done a lot of research. They both emailed me and asked if I would be interested in being a part of their clinical studies. I declined because of my ongoing health issues. Traveling is not easy for me. Driving 15 miles to Austin is a huge ordeal, I can't even imagine going to Dallas or El Paso. Plus, at my age, I wasn't sure that I was up for being part of a clinical study involving the one thing that has made my life way more difficult than the average person my whole life. I would love to donate my body to the cause after I die, but I don't want to make my every day life any harder than it already is.

I was born with a Cavernous Hemangioma on my forehead and until recent years, I couldn't find anything that linked the two but it seems that with continued research, they have decided they are the same thing as Cavernous Angioma on a different part of the body. They are both vascular malformations. 

I also have an aortic aneurysm on my heart. Here's the difference, aneurysms are formed by a weakness in the wall of an artery. Cavernous angiomas are abnormal clusters of blood vessels, specifically capillaries and veins, creating caverns filled with slow-flowing blood.

Here's a photo of my family on Christmas day 1955 with my mom holding me. You can see the Infantile hemangioma on my forehead. Most infantile hemangiomas grow for a period, then shrink and disappear on their own, often without treatment. Mine eventually turned into a flat pink birthmark on my forehead.

Fajardo Family - 1955
Gilbert, Nita, Felipe, Phillip Agnes and Christina

At the age of 15, I had a seizure but I didn't have another one until I was 25 and pregnant. I have been on seizure medication since then. Now, at the age of 71, I often have focal seizures on a that cause various symptoms. It causes me to be highly sensitive to light, sound and temperature. It causes fear, anxiety and general strong emotions for no apparent reason. It causes changes in my heart rate and blood pressure. Now my daughter, Adriane suffers from many of the same symptoms that I have. She was diagnosed with a brain bleed at the New Braunfels hospital and they took her by ambulance to St David's in Austin, but by the time she was seen by a doctor there her brain had stopped bleeding and they told her she had a migraine and sent her home.

In closing, I am grateful that June is International Cavernous Angioma Awareness Month. It has been so disheartening to live with such a misunderstood disease my whole life. I pray that a miraculous cure comes soon.

Below are two other blogs I have written with more information about Cavernous Angiomas: 

https://christinafajardo.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-brave-and-broken-hearted.html

https://christinafajardo.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-common-hispanic-mutation.html

Below are some links to resources if you or a loved one needs more information about Cavernous Angiomas:

https://www.alliancetocure.org/

https://www.facebook.com/InternationalCavernousAngiomaAwarenessMonth

https://unmhealth.org/stories/2023/12/hispanic-mutation-stroke-migraine-seizure.html