Young couple held onto their dream even after Emilia was diagnosed with leukemia: “Designing the trailer home helped us believe there’s still life ahead”

Last winter, Emilia Koivumäki and Antto Pohjonen were in an unusual situation. They had a nearly finished their trailer home but no idea where to park it, even though it could be moved around.

“It was a fun feeling,” Antto recalls.

Not having a place to park it didn’t stress them out. Past upheavals had given them perspective and the sense that they could handle anything.

The couple began building the trailer late last fall on Emilia’s father’s forest property in Kankaanpää, Finland. Construction of their 17-square-meter tiny home went quickly, even though Emilia and Antto took a two-week trip to the Canary Islands in between.

This time, they traveled to the Canary Islands on their own. They had met on a previous trip to the Canaries: Emilia had gone on a budget girls’ trip with her friends, while Antto was there on an all-inclusive vacation with his buddies. Once they met on the second day, both friend groups stuck together for the rest of the holiday, and Antto often ended up sleeping on the hard sofa bed in the girls’ apartment.

It was love at first sight. After the first evening, they both knew they had found their partner for life.

After that trip, Emilia and Antto drove between their hometowns whenever possible—even if it meant a two-hour drive in a snowstorm at five in the morning. A couple of months later, Emilia quit her job at a factory that made wooden apartment building elements, and they moved into a one-bedroom flat.

Test living in a studio

When the trailer was finally inspected and ready to move just before Christmas, they had it transported to Tampere. Emilia and Antto kept doing the finishing work while staying in a rented studio. They found a spot for the trailer through word of mouth, in the yard of a house that was set to be torn down.

They’d already gone from a one-bedroom to a studio for two reasons: to see if the smaller space would be too cramped and to figure out which belongings were genuinely necessary. They got rid of a bunch of stuff during the move. At first, Emilia had a hard time parting with her décor items, but she hasn’t missed them.

They did all the building themselves. Antto is trained as a carpenter, and Emilia qualified as an electrician. Because of this, building their own home turned out far cheaper than buying a completed one.

The idea of living in a cottage on wheels emerged during their trip to the Turku Archipelago. They’d spent a night in a container cottage. Emilia remembers thinking, “We could get by in a place like this.” Initially, though, living in a trailer still felt far-fetched.

They had browsed camper vans and loved the idea of people escaping the rat race. Van life appealed to them, but because they also enjoyed their comforts, Finland’s cold winters put them off.

Then one day on Instagram, they came across a solution to their dream: a home on wheels that could be moved anywhere. That same day, they visited Lapelland in Lempäälä to see the demo trailers.

“We’re both the kind of people who believe anything goes. If one of us gets an idea, the other is on board,” Antto says.

A dream that kept her going

Emilia’s perspective shifted after a serious illness. The couple had known each other for only a year when Emilia got sick in the fall of 2023.

She had just one bruise that started itching. The doctor sent her home with antibiotics.

A few days later, she developed a fever and stayed in the hospital for a month. That bruise turned out to be a blood clot. Tests showed 90 percent of her bone marrow was cancerous. Emilia had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which can be fatal within weeks if left untreated.

When Emilia got a stem cell transplant in spring 2024, she spent five weeks in the hospital undergoing the toughest possible cancer treatment. She needed something to think about so she’d still feel connected to everyday life. Planning the cottage on wheels made her feel like the future was still wide open—she and Antto would build their trailer home once she recovered.

“My life was so good before leukemia, and I thought it couldn’t just end when everything seemed perfect,” Emilia says.

When Emilia came home, her immune system was so weak that they had to avoid most contact with others for months. Even a simple cold could have put her back in the hospital.

Antto quit his job, and their shared dream of running a painting business took shape when he started a sole proprietorship. He’d heard on the radio that if you can’t see yourself in the same job in ten years, it’s time to move on. He’d been selling roofing services, which wasn’t likely to become any different. This spring, they turned the business into a limited liability company, and now both work full time.

Building the trailer was crucial for Emilia’s rehabilitation. After she got out of the hospital, she could only walk about 150 meters at first. Together, they kept extending her walks until last fall, when they fulfilled Emilia’s dream of hiking a total of ten kilometers in northern Norway.

Eventually, Emilia felt strong enough to help build their home.

Cold water and a freezing toilet

Emilia’s long sick leave drastically cut her income. Thanks to the trailer, they can live without having to work nonstop just to cover expenses. Their rowhouse apartment cost nearly €1,500 a month, but now they pay only a fraction of that.

They don’t feel they’ve lost any comforts, even with no hot water, shower, or flush toilet. Their freezing toilet works well, and they shower at public winter-swimming saunas in Tampere, which also lets them meet up with friends. They do laundry once a week at a quick-service laundromat during their grocery run.

During painting season, Emilia and Antto stay in even smaller quarters than their 17-square-meter trailer. They drive a cargo van to worksites, put in long hours, and park overnight on forest roads or by beaches. The van contains a bed frame and drawers for their tools and camping gear.

“Having ADHD, not knowing where I’ll sleep each night is the best,” Emilia says.

When Emilia was in the hospital, they spent about a hundred nights apart. It taught them to appreciate being together. Both love closeness, which helps in a tight space. Their day always starts and ends with a cuddle.

Bad luck and good luck

A serious illness was certainly bad luck for Emilia, but she was also incredibly fortunate.

Her leukemia was discovered early. Four suitable stem cell donors turned up, and the treatments worked so well that at her one-year checkup, her bone marrow was clear.

She also got lucky in love.

“I feel like I’ve won the lottery in love. I’m so thankful Antto stayed with me when I got sick. He promised to stand by me, so that was one less thing to worry about. Even if my life had ended sooner, finding Antto meant I’d already gotten everything I wanted. Everything else is just a bonus.”

When their traveling jobs slow down this fall, they plan to look for a more permanent lot. Their main requirement is that it’s near Tampere but quieter than their current location.

They’re already living their dream life, but they hope to spend future winters somewhere warm—perhaps towing the trailer to Spain one day. It’s all about freedom.

“Many people think they should do this or that. We just go for it and see how it turns out. If it doesn’t work, we’ll change the plan.”