Bryall’s Story

I played international tennis until September 27, 2009, when my dream to become a professional tennis player was shattered. I was playing an interclub match when I broken my right arm and I hadn’t even hit the ball. I’ve never had an injury that I can remember. Everyone watching my game on that day thought that it was only a shoulder dislocation. My parent took me to the Emergency clinic to have a check up. When the Doctor ordered an x-ray it appeared that I broke my right humerus, but he sent me to the hospital. He said that he can’t do anything in his clinic. I remember my mother questioned the doctor: “Why a hospital?  It’s only a broken bone. You can put a cast on it.” But the doctor explained to her that it needed further investigation, why the bone broke by just lifting my arm.

My parent decided that I would take an ambulance ride because I was in agony. That was cool because the paramedic was giving me a laughing gas to help to ease the pain. Upon my arrival in the Emergency department at Middlemore hospital, a Bone Specialist check me and ran a blood test.  He look at the x-ray and both were negative, so he said he would refer me to Dr. French and Dr. Flint, Bone Tumor specialists.  I could see my mother’s face turn to sadness and worry. I am the only child and I know I am her world. Even while I was in agony I give her assurance that I was fine and it was nothing serious. Read more

James’ Story

I suffered a pathological fracture to the left distal humerus in April of 2008, with no prior signs or symptoms. Diagnosis was confirmed by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology as a De-Differentiated Chondrosarcoma. I was 42 years old at the time, with an excellent medical history, both individually and familial, (parents/grandparents all 95 plus) with no history of cancer in the family. I took no medications, and was extremely active riding BMX bikes, and exploring underwater caves around the world. My world changed at that point, and this became my project. Other than the progression of my cancer, I still enjoy excellent health, and take no medications.

In June of 2008, the tumor was resected, my arm salvaged and rebuilt, and I have a good functional result from that. I underwent a humeral implant w/ a total elbow Arthroplasty. The hand works great; the shoulder works great, although I have significant reduced ROM in the elbow joint. Being that no good treatment exists for this very rare cancer, I still underwent 4 rounds of chemo (Ifosfomide/etopicide a Ewings Sarcoma treatment), and 35 treatments of radiation to the tumor bed. Read more

Jessica’s Story

Osteosarcoma at the Humerus
Age at Diagnosis: 15
Date of Diagnosis: 1988
Location: Washington D.C.
Hospital: Children’s Hospital

Diagnosis: In June of ‘88 (when I was 15 years old) I’d been having pain in my left arm — I thought I’d been hit by a softball and that’s what was causing the pain. Luckily, we were sent to Children’s Hospital pretty quickly and within just a couple of days I was diagnoses with osteosarcoma of the left humerus.

Treatment: I had 2 rounds of pre-op chemo (cisplatin and adriamyacin), following by an 8-hour limb-salvage operation where they removed almost my entire humerus and replaced it with a metal prosthesis. They rearranged all my muscles and removed the deltoid muscle. 4 more rounds of chemo followed. Read more

Tom’s Story

Chondrosarcoma at the Proximal Humerus
Age at Diagnosis: 40
Year of Diagnosis: 2000

Diagnosis: I had shoulder pain after exercise that did not get better. After 3-4 months I went to a sports medicine doc. His diagnosis was unclear, so he sent me for an MRI. Monday 9AM, the MRI showed very plainly, a bone tumor in the humerus. An expert in NYC was recommended. Much to my surprise, they took my insurance, and had a cancellation at noon. My MRI drew a crowd of interns. I had a bone scan on Tuesday, which showed only the shoulder as the hot spot. I had a surgical biopsy on Thursday, and was told it was Chondrosarcoma, and we could think before we had to act. Some bone cancers are very aggressive, but I was allowed to go home, and my surgeon was allowed to take his vacation! Regardless of being allowed to wait, my wife and I wanted this removed asap, but also wanted to preserve as much function as possible. The tumor resection was scheduled for a month later. Read more

Rachel’s Story

Chondrosarcoma at the Humerus
Age at Diagnosis: 22
Year of Diagnosis: 1983
Location: United Kingdom

Diagnosis: I had been complaining about a pain in my arm for about 18 months before it broke when I was playing golf. GPs had suggested a pulled muscle, rheumatic problems an so on but no one had actually touched or felt it.

My arm broke, as I say, when I was playing golf. It appears that the tumour had weakened the bone and it broke just below the site of the tumour. My father took me to our local A & E. It was the Easter vacation so short-staffed and lots of soccer-related injuries in. The pain was referring to my shoulder which when x-rayed revealed nothing.I was given some pain killers and referred for physio. I was in agony. I guess they thought I was overreacting. Read more

John’s Story

Chondrosarcoma at the Proximal Humerus
Age at Diagnosis: 33
Date of Diagnosis: 1993

Diagnosis: I was experiencing left shoulder pain and weakness for a few years, so in April 1991 I went to an orthopedic doctor for evaluation. The doctor took an X-ray and stated that it was tendonitis due to weightlifting and he gave me a prescription for Naprosyn. I had been a weightlifter since my teenage years, so this seemed logical to me.

Two years later (April 1993) I was experiencing increasing pain in the same shoulder and I was unable to weight lift. I had tried numerous times over the 2 year period to weight lift, but the pain in my shoulder was so intense that it would take two weeks to go away, and my strength was down 80% in the shoulder. If I picked up anything heavy with the affected arm, the pain would become terrible and I would lose most of my shoulder mobility for a few weeks.

I then decided to go to another orthopedic doctor thinking that I had a torn rotator cuff from weightlifting. I took along my original X-rays and the doctor noticed something on them, and when he took new X-rays, the change was obvious and more of my humerus was affected by the chondrosarcoma compared to the original X-ray. Read more

Julia’s Story

Osteosarcoma at the Humerus
Age at Diagnosis: 20
Year of Diagnosis: 1982
Location: South Dakota, USA

Diagnosis: In late 1981, I was working in a nursing home as an aide. I also had two small children at home and a marriage on the rocks. When I started to experience pain in my arm I assumed I’d strained a muscle and life goes on. As the pain became greater, I limited my activities.

The kids were not picked up as much, driving was difficult at best, and I requested-and was granted-second floor duty and grave yard shift at work where the patients were more ambulatory and self sufficient. My brother picked me up in early October, 1982 and we went to my sister’s house to help her move a dresser. As I lifted my end, I couldn’t suppress a groan. My brother insisted on a visit to the doctor or I was walking home. Read more

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