00:03Most competitive surfers have only one concern, catching the perfect wave.
00:09But one 17-year-old from Chile has a much bigger challenge.
00:14For her whole life, Clara Fivre has lived in the shadow of cancer.
00:20I was diagnosed with neuroplastoma cancer as a baby.
00:24They believed that I was not going to achieve anything, that I was not going to continue living.
00:28But here I am, competing and surfing.
00:32Clara's goal is to win a title at a major competition.
00:35But her health problems have resurfaced at the Alas Global Tour in El Salvador,
00:40one of South America's biggest surfing tournaments.
00:47And there goes Clara Fivre on the wave.
00:51Oh no, she doesn't manage to complete it.
00:55Just months earlier, doctors had discovered multiple tumours in her leg.
00:59They were benign, but the operation kept her out of the water.
01:04I'm a bit disappointed with my last result.
01:08My training has been difficult, since lately I could not train so hard, because of my health.
01:15Can Clara hold off cancer and its complications long enough to reach the podium at a surfing competition?
01:30Back home in Reñaca, Chile, Clara is never far from the Pacific Ocean.
01:39For me, surfing means everything.
01:43When I'm feeling down, I go into the sea and relax and enjoy myself.
01:49For me, it's a way of celebrating life.
01:52Every moment I'm on the wave, when I'm surfing, even if it's just for 10 seconds,
01:58I'm full of emotion, forgetting everything, feeling only the sea, listening to the waves and the seagulls.
02:10Surfing is what has helped Clara overcome one challenge after another.
02:16I've been through a lot of things besides cancer.
02:19I've gotten sick again and again, and I've had surgeries.
02:22I'm someone who's been through everything.
02:25Just before her second birthday, Clara was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, one of the deadliest childhood cancers.
02:32Her parents were told to prepare for the worst.
02:36I've spoken with my parents about my illness.
02:39It was very difficult for them.
02:40They were told that they were going to lose their daughter, that there was no chance.
02:45But multiple rounds of chemotherapy and an experimental bone marrow transplant
02:49prolonged her life beyond all expectations.
02:53Clara not only survived, but thrived.
02:56She embraced sports and fell in love with gymnastics.
03:00But her treatment left her bones fragile, and she suffered a devastating spinal injury.
03:07I broke my spinal column, and they told me that I would never be able to practice sport again.
03:13Once again, she defied the doctors.
03:16Six-year-old Clara tried surfing and fell in love with the waves.
03:22They told me, you can surf once a week.
03:25I started one, two, three, four, seven times.
03:29I didn't want to go back to the doctor, so he couldn't tell me to stop surfing.
03:33I ended up surfing every day, and then I started to travel and compete.
03:38Clara improved her surfing with the help of coach Rodrigo Gallegos and his club Vigna Surfing,
03:44which helps vulnerable children discover the sport.
03:52The first thing I noticed about her was that she was not afraid.
03:57She was never afraid to fall.
04:00It surprised me and also taught me that barriers in life are there to be overcome.
04:06You have to go through life without wanting to be treated differently.
04:14I believe that surfing is a very important medicine and therapy for everyone.
04:20Not only for her, but also for those who have a disease, a disability, and for all of us as
04:28a society.
04:35Weeks after her setback in El Salvador, Clara is training for her next competition.
04:41But before she travels, she needs to go for an important medical evaluation.
04:50Clara's mother, Andrea, is driving her to an appointment with her doctor
04:54to check if her recent weakness is something to be worried about.
05:00You have to explain absolutely everything to her, from the beginning and all the symptoms.
05:07These last few days I've been a bit tired, and I've been eating a lot.
05:16Visits to the clinic Suidad del Mar have become part of Clara's life.
05:20Constant check-ups are needed to monitor the possible return of cancer and other complications.
05:27Today they're meeting with endocrinologist Dr. Daniela Navarrete.
05:32Andrea recounts her daughter's medical history.
05:36She went through chemotherapy, 16 cycles of chemo, plus chemicals.
05:42High-dose chemotherapy to destroy bone marrow.
05:47Appellation of a tumor in a left adrenal neuroblastoma.
05:55Look, the phosphatases are also a little high.
05:58That indicates that the bone is suffering a little.
06:02Neuroblastoma is not a common cancer, but it does occur in some children.
06:06The problem is that although the tumor can be cured, unfortunately we see complications associated with the therapy.
06:12In Chile, the survival of neuroblastoma, which has metastaside, as present in Clara's case, is very low.
06:19But Clara has surprised everyone with her resilience.
06:23Her doctor believes her secret medicine is surfing.
06:29A child who has survived so much should probably try to avoid this type of sport,
06:34which we know is very demanding, which increases the risk of falling, of fracturing something.
06:40But we can see that she is happy and that her health indices have improved.
06:46They probably would not have improved.
06:49But what she is doing is making her happy, and many of her indices that were low have improved.
06:58Her doctors have given her encouraging news.
07:01She's been given the all clear to surf.
07:04Although her cancer could one day return, Clara feels ready to confront it.
07:10I'm not afraid of cancer or that it will come back.
07:14I know that if it returns, I'm going to beat it.
07:17I've already beaten it once before.
07:22After the medical checkup, Clara feels empowered for her next competition.
07:26She gains encouragement from her friends, who visit before she travels.
07:34We went to the doctor and everything, and they said I was fine.
07:39My dear friend, I truly wish you all the best.
07:43You know I'll always be here for you.
07:45I'll be watching you from afar, and I'll call you all the time, constantly on video calls.
07:50I hope everything goes really well for you, that you feel confident in yourself.
07:55You are capable of achieving anything.
07:58I'm sure you'll get one of those podium positions you want so badly.
08:02Thank you, my love.
08:03I know you'll do amazing.
08:08You're so sweet.
08:09You're going to make me cry.
08:17Arica in northern Chile, where arid desert meets world-class waves.
08:22Clara and her family have travelled here for her biggest competitions so far.
08:30I think I'm quite calm. I'm not stressed anymore.
08:35She's entered the Latin Girl tournament, which draws 150 female surfers from across the continent.
08:43This break is considered one of the best surfing spots in South America.
08:47But it's also dangerous, as the huge waves crash onto exposed rocks.
08:58I've prepared for this. I'm entering a new category, longboard surfing, which I've never done before.
09:06But on the first day, Clara is almost wiped out.
09:10She struggles to catch a wave and is battered against the rocks.
09:17Despite her injuries, she does well enough to advance to the next round.
09:21It takes a pep talk from her mother to remind Clara of her progress.
09:28Clara, relax. We are already in the final. You've done super well so far.
09:33How did it go?
09:35Great. All the way to the final.
09:38Like all her setbacks, this one only makes her more determined to succeed.
09:42Her father and mother watch on, concerned and excited, as she returns to the water.
09:51Clara has just 20 minutes to impress the judges.
09:57But 15 minutes pass and she still hasn't been able to catch a wave.
10:06Finally, the ocean gives her a chance to shine.
10:20I'm really happy because it's an important result. And I think Clara deserves it.
10:26I would have liked to have been able to catch a bigger wave and surf for longer.
10:31But anyway, I still enjoyed it. I'm content and I am happy that I reached the final.
10:38Clara comes third in the longboard category, finally achieving her goal of winning a podium place.
10:48Today, we are going to celebrate the effort, dedication, perseverance, patience and desire to continue winning more and more from
10:58life every day.
11:00Today, Clara is with us.
11:07I decided that my life would be different and I think that I'm very proud of that and that every
11:13time I want something and I set out to do something, I do it and I end up achieving it.
11:19My dream today is hopefully to make it to the Olympics and surf incredibly and that others can see my
11:25passion for surfing and what I like about it.
11:32Surfing is what gives Clara motivation to continue, despite knowing that cancer could return at any moment.
11:40When I enter the sea with my surfboard, I forget everything.
11:45I feel like I'm in another galaxy. I feel an enormous happiness.
11:50I believe you have to take advantage of your life because you don't know when it can go away, when
11:56everything can change and turn upside down.
11:59Life is a literal sea. Everything can change in a second.
12:04I believe it helps you to realize that you should always try to make the most of everything in your
12:09life because life is magnificent.
12:15She could have only years left, but Clara plans to spend every possible moment surfing each wave as if it
12:22were her last.
12:23She could have only years left.
12:31She could have only years left.
12:31She could have only years left.
12:32She could have only years left.
12:32She could have only years left.
12:34She could have only years left.
12:34She could have only years left.
12:34She could have only years left.
12:34She could have only years left.
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