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

Happy Birthday Momma

Today, May 31, 2026 my mother would have been 105 years old. She passed away on April 12, 2005, exactly one month before my 50th birthday. My son, Christian wrote the following last year on the 20th anniversary of my mom's passing. 

Agnes Padilla Fajardo 1946

Agnes Padilla Fajardo
At the house where she raised her family
1804 Magnolia, Amarillo, Texas

Mom, Adriane and Christian in the 80's

Mom and Dylan in the 90's

Christmas 1955 on Magnolia Street, Amarillo Texas
Gilbert, Nita, Daddy, Phillip, Mom and Christina

Agnes Padilla Fajardo

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico

Agnes Padilla Fajardo

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico

Agnes Padilla Fajardo

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico

Agnes Padilla Fajardo
The Red Dirt Girl From Puerto de Luna

Agnes Padilla Fajardo

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico

I love all of the photos I have of my mom when she was young, sitting in the fields, on the mountain sides and near the Pecos River in Puerto de Luna, New Mexico. I always wonder who it was that took these beautifully artistic photos of her. 

Happy Birthday And Rest In Peace My Dear Momma

Happy Easter!

I wonder how many Christians realize Easter originated as a pagan celebration of the spring equinox. Think about it. Why would the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus be celebrated on the a different date every year? It is because Easter was originally a celebration of new life and fertility. Eostre (or Ostara) was a Germanic Goddess of Spring and renewal celebrated for hundreds of years, associated with fertility and renewal whose name is the origin of the word "Easter." Her sacred month was April and celebrated  with fertility symbols like rabbits and eggs.That's why Easter falls on a different date every year. It falls on the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, honoring fertility and the return of life after winter, celebrating the balance of day and night and the earth's renewal.

Rooted in ancient traditions, Spring time celebrated the Germanic Goddess Eostre and symbolizes growth, often featuring symbols like eggs and rabbits. It is a period for planting, spring cleaning, and welcoming warmth. It marks the astronomical start of spring, the rebirth of light, life and creation.

Traditions were absorbed and rebranded into a Patriarchal Christian narrative focused on a male savior, now known as Easter Sunday. Nature-based rituals transformed into a linear story of sin, redemption, and male authority. As Christianity expanded, these existing symbols were retained but given new meanings to serve a male-focused theological narrative. The focus shifted from the Earth's natural cycles to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The divine feminine, embodying nurturing, intuition and creation was suppressed, demonized and removed from mainstream patriarchal religious systems, reducing God to a purely masculine concept. This suppression silenced the stories of goddesses. In Christian religions Easter is now dedicated to observing the resurrection of Jesus.

Common symbols like eggs and rabbits are often cited as pagan fertility symbols of Spring.

And as for April Fools Day, on April 1, 1582, when France adopted the Gregorian calendar, many people stubbornly continued celebrating New Year's on April 1 instead of changing to January. These individuals, were called "April fools," mocked with fake gifts and nonsensical errands by those following the new system. This historical misunderstanding created the tradition of lighthearted pranks.

Happy Easter!

San Patricio.... Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick's Day usually just slips right by me but this year I took notice simply because my grandson, Dylan had his DNA test done and he is about 30% Irish. No big surprise since he looks like a leprechaun. 

Dylan Micah Ethridge

Then I read a little-known chapter in US-Mexican history. In a nutshell, there were hundreds of immigrants, mostly of Irish descent, who deserted the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) to fight alongside Mexico. They deserted the U.S. army due to shared religious faith, better pay, and opposition to U.S. aggression. They fought bravely as an elite artillery unit called Batallón de San Patricio. They were brutally executed or branded as traitors by the U.S. This military unit was composed mostly of Catholic Irish immigrants.  This really surprised me. Something you would never read in our school history books.

Led by John Riley, they were remembered as heroes who defended Mexico out of religious affinity and due to unfair treatment within the U.S. ranks. The Saint Patrick's Battalion or Batallón de San Patricio consisted of several hundred mostly Irish Catholics but there were also German, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Swiss and Canadians who were Catholic. The San Patricios participated in many of the bloodiest battles during the American invasion of Mexico.

The San Patricios are revered and honored
in Mexico and Ireland. Fifty-one of them were executed by the U.S. in San Jacinto Square.

Because of this, in Mexico, St. Patrick’s Day symbolizes something very different. There, St. Patrick’s Day is a day to commemorate the San Patricios battalion.

Pop culture tributes include a recent commemorative album by The Chieftains, an Irish folk band: It includes traditional Mexican folkloric music performed with a fusion of Irish and Mexican instrumentation.

The Chieftains featuring Ry Cooder - San Patricio 

 HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY

Today we remember Los San Patricios,

who stood against injustices during the Mexican American War of 1846-1848.

Healing Ancestral Trauma

 

For centuries people have been captivated by genealogy, tracing their ancestors through historical records for various reasons. In recent years, DNA tests have taken genealogy to a whole new level. This is a DNA chart of me, my sister Nita and my brother Gilbert. Siblings have different DNA, despite sharing the same parents. We each inherit a unique, random combination of 50% from each parent. Phillip isn't on this chart because he didn't take his DNA test with Ancestry.com.

About 16 years ago, my brother Phillip was the first in my family to take a DNA test. He was interested in finding out if we had Sephardic Jewish ancestry. Unfortunately, at the time the $99 DNA test he took only supplied information on our father’s side of the family. A year later I had a DNA test done by Ancestry.com. By that time the average DNA test provided both paternal and maternal DNA information. In the beginning my interest was in healing generational trauma because I saw a pattern repeating in my life which involved extremely unfair real estate deals that I couldn't logically explain. It became obvious that healing generational trauma would require disrupting established power structures within the family which would require me, the youngest female in a very traditional Hispanic family, to break inherited cycles of dysfunction. Through self-awareness and emotional processing, I could clear the trauma in my lineage. I realized that I went along with the status quo to keep peace in the family and it never worked in my favor. 

Previously, since my DNA is mostly Spanish, I was  taking on the responsibility of the misplaced Jews who lost their homes and all their belongs during the Spanish Inquisition and the misplaced Native Americans due to the Spanish Colonizers in the Americas. But then I realized I am 43% Spanish, 20% Native American, 10% Sephardic Jew and a 27% mixture of a whole bunch of other stuff. In other words, my ancestors experienced both victory and defeat. So, logically, how could I be responsible for the Spanish Inquisition? LOL

I then discovered the study of epigenetics and found that we can carry our ancestors' trauma through epigenetic inheritance. Stress impacts gene expression, turning genes "on" or "off" like a dimmer switch without changing the DNA sequence itself. This affects our descendants' stress responses, mental health and behaviors. That would explain why children born into the same family experience different levels of stress-related behaviors. Past traumatic experiences can leave biological marks, influencing the hormonal systems and brain function in future generations, leading to heightened anxiety or depression. While these marks exist, healing is possible through therapy, and acknowledging family history to prevent passing on these chains. So here I am, trying to heal my family.

Our family's DNA did have an impact that aligned with Phillip's interest in discovering his Sephardic Jewish ancestry, but maybe not the way he thought it did. He passed away September 4, 2025 and in our last personal conversation, he said he wanted to get an updated DNA test. I wish he could have for so many reasons. He seemed to be trying to come to terms with a few things in his last days. Phillip was the only immediate family member who had read my blog regularly over the years and I miss his commentary immensely. There were times when he and I had long phone conversations about spirituality and quantum physics, in the same conversation. He always had a way of taking the conversation to the next level. In the last few years of his life, he didn't get to spend time with the Fajardos. There were unspoken moments when I knew we didn't see eye to eye on religion & politics so we just left well enough alone. 

It seemed almost poetic that my research had taken me back to the 13th century Spain when the Fajardo Army of southern Spain, described as a prominent, elite lineage, had consolidated their forces with the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella to take over all of Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. The Fajardo Army not only supported the Inquisition’s Limpieza de sangre (purity of blood) statutes, they were among the primary enforcers of these discriminatory Spanish laws that required proof of Christian ancestry "pure blood." These laws were used to exclude Jews, Muslims, or non-Christians from public office and universities. Yet, on the flip side, the surname Fajardo is considered to be of Sephardic Jewish origin due to its historical connection to converso (forced convert) families who fled. Our lineage first went to the Canary Islands and then to New Mexico right after the Spanish Inquisition. It reminds me of the extremes in current day United States, especially Phillip's immediate family of "Born Again Christians" vs the rest of the Fajardo family. It's a perfect example of how all families throughout the ages have their differences. Some of the Fajardos during the Spanish Inquisition were on the side of the Catholic Monarchs and some were Sephardic Jews. We truly do carry our ancestors' trauma through epigenetic inheritance. 

Phillip was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2025. He was having seizures and suffered a severe brain bleed that his hospice nurse confirmed would ultimately take his life. Earlier today I opened facebook and this post appeared to remind me that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had it removed exactly 16 years ago today. At that time, 16 years ago, the neurologist said he only had 2 years which tell me that Phillip was misdiagnosed. 

But there I was in August, just a couple of weeks before he passed away, having our last private conversation. His wife was glaring at us across the room. It wasn't until then that I realized just what an oppressive relationship he had been in for all of these years. It had proven to be useless to bring up any topic his wife didn't approve of. My ongoing research into the "Common Hispanic Mutation" (CCM1 - Cerebral Cavernous Malformation)  and the fact that it is often misdiagnosed as a brain tumor was right at the top of the list of topics that weren't allowed to be discussed. Phillip's wife was treating him with a hand full of non prescribed drugs and he had signed Advance Directives saying he didn't want any more medical care. So there I sat with all my years of research about the genetic mutation that's highly prevalent in our New Mexican blood line on both our father and mother's side of the family. Yet his family ignored the fact that our genetic legacy came from a small group of early Spanish settlers, linked directly to the historical ideology of Limpieza de Sangre (purity of blood) that is scientifically known to cause brain bleeds.

During our conversation Phillip said to me "You and I were cut from the same cloth." I smiled and said proudly "Yes, we were." I felt that in the depths of my heart, yet in the back of my mind I was thinking "Yes, with the same genetic disease, caused by our ancestor's fixation on having pure Spanish blood. And sadly, the same mindset of the right-wing Christian nationalists government who want to keep 'America' white." 

I couldn't save my brother. I strongly believe he is in a better place. When I think of him, I see his healthy, brilliant face in a beautiful field of of mushrooms. 

Phillip Fajardo

The good news is that others have found my blog helpful and informative. I had a doctor from Dallas and one from El Paso who found my blog about 6 years ago. They were both impressed with my research and asked if I would be interested in taking part in their CCM1 studies. At the time, I was in my mid-sixties and I don't drive long distances, so I refrained, but my research was helpful in tracing some of my relatives with the CCM1 gene to the Santa Rosa, NM area. I have also been contacted by many distant cousins who have found my blog because they are on the same journey of self discovery through ancestry. When you do a Google search of Puerto de Luna, New Mexico, my blog is the first thing that comes up because it is literally a ghost town now. 

I discovered much more information than I bargained for when I signed up to become a member of Ancestry.com, thinking I would keep the membership for 3 months. Here it is 15 years later and I have been on a quest that has taken me on an amazing journey through my family's colorful past. Tracing the Fajardo surname back to Spain as far back as the 1200's has been a mind blowing, educational experience.

I started writing about my research for my children and grandchildren because after my parents passed away, I felt like I should have asked more questions. The next generation may be interested in it some day, but meanwhile I am connecting with cool cousins. At the bottom of this post you can click on "See More Posts" and it will take you to older posts.

The journey actually began when I was 16 years old, my junior year in high school, when my parents sent me to live with my Grandma Rosita Padilla in Puerto de Luna, New Mexico as a punishment for skipping school. I was having anxiety attacks at school. That all disappeared when I went to Santa Rosa High. I felt seen and heard. I loved my art teacher, Mr Lopez. I felt a deep connection to my ancestors who had been in New Mexico for over 400 years. In the quiet times, alone on the farm, in my grandma's adobe house, that my mother had helped to build and in the chile fields next to the acequia. Or on the weekends when my cousin Percy Padilla and I worked at the small store/gas station in Puerto de Luna  called "Mercado Coronado." The store was next door to what used to be the Grzelachowski General Store, which is is known for having the likes of Billy the Kid as a regular customer in the late 1800's. I felt that I was surrounded by the spirits of my ancestors and there was an underlying feeling that I had been there in the previous century. It all felt oddly familiar. I felt like I was finally home.

I didn't have time to do a deep dive into my past until years later, after my parents had passed away and my children were grown. Building my family tree has been a nightly activity. The historical discovery of my parents homeland of New Mexico and the journey of my ancestors from Spain has been truly fascinating.

I've learned that a well-researched family tree typically reaches back to the 17th or 18th century with good parish records. I've traced my mother's paternal Padilla lineage back to Anton Martin de Padilla who was born in Sevilla, Spain in 1536. I've traced my father's Fajardo lineage back to my 9th Great-Grandfather Jose Miguel Fajardo born in the Canary Islands in 1591. But I can't help but think his family was just traveling through when he was born because his son, my 8th Great-Grandfather Alonso Fajardo was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1656. 

Fajardo Coat of Arms

I haven't found a connection but there was an Alonso Fajardo de Entenza, Governor-General of the Philippines (1618–1624), who was a Spanish nobleman born in Murcia, Spain and he was the son of Admiral Don Luis Fajardo. He was a Knight of the Order of Alcántara. The Fajardos had been sent out to conquer the world and it appears that some ended up in in the Philippines just before the first Fajardos came to New Mexico. They had to be related but I don't know exactly how.

The surname Fajardo originated in the northwestern region of Galicia, Spain. With roots traced to a nobleman, Pedro Anes Galego, Lord of Santa Marta de Ortigueira. He was the progenitor of the Fajardo surname. Fajardo is a Galician/Latin term for a beech wood or tree. Then the Fajardo family emigrated to Murcia in 1296 and became high-ranking officials of the Crown of Castile. 

You can't imagine the mixture of emotions I had when I discovered that the Fajardo family was the most powerful and prestigious noble lineage in the Kingdom of Murcia, Spain beginning in the 13th century. 

The prestigious Spanish noble title held by the Fajardos was Marqués de los Vélez. It was a title that held major influence in the region for centuries and was first granted to Pedro Fajardo y Chacon in 1507. He was a prominent military leader and politician. I just read a blog written in 2022 about  Pedro Fajardo y Chacon's iconic Castillo de Vélez-Blanco, also know as the Castillo de los Fajardo located in the town of Vélez-Blanco, Andalusia, Spain. It is said to be a remarkable example of a Spanish Renaissance Castle and it has been declared a historical-artistic monument belonging to the National Artistic Treasury since 1931.

Castillo de Vélez-Blanco,
also know as the
Castillo de los Fajardo

Read more about the castle here.

The importance of the Fajardo family in the history of the Crown of Castile didn't go unnoticed by great authors of Spanish literature. In the 16th-century, because the Fajardo family of the Kingdom of Murcia, held such immense power, they became natural subjects for Spain’s greatest writers. There were satirical plays written for them. Research into Spanish literature highlights connections between the poet Acevedo and members of the Fajardo family

With all of that being said, I have known from the start of my ancestry research that the Fajardo and Padilla lineages are only 2 of many of my lineages. Those are just the names I was assigned in our patriarchal naming system. I actually have more Chavez, Padilla and Baca DNA because they are on both sides of my family tree.

In closing, for years I had come across stories of my Spanish ancestors expelling Jews from Spain and conquering the Americas. Ancestral trauma healing involves identifying and releasing emotional, physical and spiritual wounds that have been passed down through the generations. These wounds manifest as unexplained fears and toxic patterns. Healing requires forgiveness. Forgive yourself above all and forgive others. Ancestral research empowers future generations. I've always felt there has to be a reckoning of accumulated damage done by our ancestors. Being a deep thinking, peace loving healer, I wondered if I had been chosen in my lineage to even up the score. Not as a punishment, but to heal the lineage for my family and future generations. Therefore, I have experienced genetic health issues and botched real estate deals to bring it all to my attention. This blog is just one layer of my personal healing process. Thank you for being a part of my journey.