I was very active, running agility in classes and herding sheep in class and trial competion with my dogs. I loved to be outside in the garden and doing team activities with my dogs.

August 21 while rising from a sitting position I felt a pop in my hip. Combined with the ever increasing pain, foggy thinking and fatigue, I was frightened. We hurried to the ER. The triage nurse said my blood pressure was off the chart (sign of pain) and hurried me to the front of the line. The ER doctor ordered a CT scan. He explained he could see fractures more easily than in the set of x-rays I brought with me.

What he saw was a fracture through abnormal material near the ball of my femur…and the lump I had recently found in my right breast.

The next morning I was in surgery. They removed as much of the tumor as possible and installed a metal brace along my femur to preserve my ability to walk. The surgeon told me I would have to find an orthopedic oncologist in Houston or Dallas who could replace my femur. Later that day an oncologist visited. She was sure that the cancers were related, that perhaps breast cancer had metastasized to the bone. I was on high doses of morphine and kind of loopy, but somethings I was told did sink in and stay with me. While we awaited the results of the two cancer biopsies, I was convinced that the cancers were not related. The hospital’s biopsy showed a high value osteosarcoma in the femur and carcinoma in the breast. This was confirmed by a second opinion from the Mayo clinic and later MD Anderson Cancer Center.

After tests, my right breast and a couple of lymph nodes were removed, and a portacath installed in my chest for future chemotherapy. I was in hospital recovering and getting occupational/physical therapy for 3 weeks. I was pretty sick, fatigued, throwing up and in pain. I had rarely had a sick day in my life before this experience.

Sarcoma is very rare and extremely rare in older women or men. In 1938 my maternal grandfather died of sarcoma when he was 62 years old. This family connection is my only known risk factor for sarcoma.

My oncologist said she was going to hit me hard with chemo. She did. Chemo was a combination of drugs given 4 days (24 hr) in hospital. My hair fell out. My nails turned dark. I had trouble with vision and reading. My white cells crashed. My platelets and red cells were low. I vomited and became very weak. Sometimes my bone marrow did not bounce back and I ran a high fever which sent me back to the ER and isolation in hospital until I could fight infection.

After four chemo treatments I went to MD Anderson Cancer Center for evaluation. CT scans and x-rays showed that the chemo had reduced and confined my bone cancer. It was also clear that my femur was coming apart. The surgery team agreed to replace my femur with a metal “bone.” During the 10-hr surgery they replaced the femur, my aging knee and made my hip socket metal friendly.

I was in hospital for 4 weeks. I had to learn to walk, dress and bath again. Fortunately using a walker after the first surgery made my upper body and arms strong, although I was lacking stamina. My husband stayed with me at the hospital almost the whole time. I soon restarted chemotherapy and will be continuing for another 6 months.

I wish I had not tried to self treat my pain and had a CT scan or MRI much earlier. My friends and family, especially my husband, have been great support. The ones who have had cancer or serious illness understand.

I don’t do any of the things I used to do but I still hope to return to a version of an active life. Although everything has changed, I am often happy. I focus more on maximizing the good times when I am well.

Peggy’s Story
Osteosarcoma at the proximal femur
Date of Diagnosis: August 21, 2008
Age at diagnosis: 61
Location: Texas
Surgeons: J. Laverty; P. Linn
Oncologist: S. Santhanam; R.Benjamin

Diagnosis: I remember my girlfriend and I were practicing cheer-leading routines as we were about to enter 7th grade and we wanted to be cheerleaders. All of a sudden I hit my knee on my bicycle bar and from that point on, the pain would grow each day. Finally my mom sent me to a chiropractor and he told my mom to get me to an oncologist. The oncologist told my mom that I most likely had osteogenic sarcoma and he recommended that she take me home to die. My family doctor, who was bull headed and stubborn, made arrangements for me to get treatment at St. Mary’s hospital in Rochester MN.

Treatment and Metastasis: Back in those days, the leg was removed, not salvaged. My right leg was amputated above the knee. It’s been so many years that I really do not remember what drugs I was given, but I do remember being very sick. I was fitted with prosthesis and sent home. Every three months I received chest x-rays, as they said the cancer could metastasized. Well, it did, three times: 1968, 1969 and 1970.

Recovery and More Cancer: I went about twenty years without any more problems and then in 1996, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

Life Now: I have been fighting cancer for most of my life. People tell me I am too stubborn and too mean to die…..well, they could be right. However, just a few months ago, I developed a pressure sore on my rear (I now use a wheelchair to get around as I am OLD!) Well, the pressure sore didn’t heal and I ended up with a staph infection that settled into my one and only knee! I had to have knee surgery and my recovery has been really tough as my knee is very unstable and hurts most of the day.

People I meet and tell them what I have been through are amazed….however, my emotional health has been less than great. I suffered from depression, anger, and self pity. BUT, on the bright side, and this is HUGE, I do have a wonderful 27 year old son. Growing up with a disabled mom has made him into a warm and compassionate human being.

Thoughts and Hints for Patients: I really get frustrated when I see people still getting diagnosed with cancer. My diagnosis was over thirty years ago and I had hoped by now there would be a cure….HOWEVER, thank God, now docs can perform limb salvaging surgeries.

I am not the perfect survivor of cancer…but I have survived. My advice is to fight HARD! Don’t ever give up.

Diagnosis: Almost 1 year before diagnosis, I had pain in my left sholder (scapula). Eventually went to an orthopedic specialist who said it was bursitis. Had 2 cortizone shots. Didn’t go away. I was in my first trimester of pregnancy. Doctors continued to say bursitis. Seven weeks from due date, I went to family doctor asking if there was anyting else I could take for pain besides Tylenol. Well, to make a long story short, I had x-rays and biopsy locally. Doctors said it was cancer but didn’t know what kind. They sent me to Mayo Clinic. (Pregnancy complicated things!). On 2/14/83, I was diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma (I was 21 years old). On 2/16/83 my son was born at Rochester Methodist Hospital in Minnesota. He was induced; 4 lbs. 1 oz. Healthy, just needed some fat on him. On 2/17/83, I had scans and bone marrow biopsy. On 2/18/83 I started my first chemo treatment. On 2/21/83, we headed home! This is a short version of a long story!

Treatment: I did not have surgery. The doctors decided to leave me my arm and scapula! Chemo shrunk the tumor enough. I had radiation for 6 weeks. Had chemo for 10 months. I think it was called MAP: Mitomycin C, Adriamycin, and Cisplatnum. This was for the first 3 months. Then the last 7 or 8 months was VCR, CTX, DACT, ADR, DTIC (don’t remember what all of them stand for). The Mayo Clinic was fantastic. I continued follow up for 14 years.

Life Now: I am a survivor! I do have some limited mobility in my left shoulder and arm but I thank God that I am alive. I was diagnosed in August 2005 with breast cancer. This may be a secondary cancer since the tumor was on the left side in an area that was radiated long ago. There is not history of breast cancer in my family. However, I am doing well after surgery and half way done with chemotherapy.

Life is great! 6 1/2 years after my son was born, I had a daughter. My children are now 22 and 16. I have been employed at the same place for 25 years. I am active at work, in my children’s school lives, on local district school board, and church.

Thoughts and Hints for New Patients: Ask questions. Get answers. Have faith in God.

Diagnosis: I remember a pain in my right knee that woke me up from a deep sleep in the middle of the night. It was an intense piercing pain. During the day I had some stiffness walking and I couldn’t run. Being 19 I thought nothing of it. My boyfriend made me go to the doctor…he ultimately saved my life! The x-ray showed two large lesions just above my right knee. They booked surgery to “fill” the cavities with bone grafts from my back. Further investigation revealed a very slow growing but aggressive sarcoma in one of the areas. I went home for the weekend to be with friends and family and after the weekend they amputated. I was up walking on crutches a day later and started chemo in another hospital 3 days after that.

Treatment: In 1974 oncologists were still learning quite a bit about chemotherapies, I had high dose methotrexate and adriamycin. I lost my hair and was devastated! It was worse than losing my leg! The adriamycin had a high impact on me. I had fevers of 105, my throat was raw, my weight dropped to 85. I nearly died, more than once. They reduced the amount of adriamycin injected but extended the length of time I was to have it. I lost my hair twice as a result. I was fortunate to be in a cancer ward of a children’s hospital. It was a wonderful place with extremely supportive nurses and a positive atmosphere.

I had a rough summer that year (amputation was in October of 1974)…I had 6 more mini amputations for osteomyolitis in the residual limb. It was tough. My friends and family were around however, and they got me through the worst days.

Recovery: I took “baby steps” to begin with. Drove a car one month after surgery. This gave me a little independence when needed. A trip to Mexico with friends between methotrexate treatments boosted my confidence tremendously. I went SCUBA diving, swimming, snorkellling and simply had fun. My parents back home never stopped worrying…but they told me much later it was important for me to go. I realize now as a parent this was probably the most difficult thing they ever did, but I came back happy, stronger and ready for more chemo!

During treatments I decided I wanted to go to university on the east coast, to study marine sciences. In the Fall of 1976 my boyfriend and I left for Nova Scotia…we have never left. I now have 3 degrees. My strategy for surviving and thriving was not a conscious decision, I realized only much later that I set goals for myself and worked towards those goals during every step of my cancer experience. This allowed me to direct my energy in a positive direction and provided impetus when times were tough.

More Cancer: Thirty years went by quickly. Cancer was not in the forefront until my father died in 1999. We recovered from that and continued to thrive, until last year when I found a lump in my right breast. At the end of March doctors removed a 3cm invasive ductal carcinoma and 15 axillary lymph nodes…8 of which were positive. They were concerned as well about a large thyroid adenoma, which had been previously (years before) diagnosed benign and considered harmless. One month after breast cancer surgery I had thyroid surgery and they diagnosed papillary carcinoma. Just previous to that surgery doctors identified a problem with my heart function. My left ventricle ejection fraction was drastically reduced. Current research indicates that this could have been related to adriamycin 30 years before. I started chemo (CMF) in June of 2004 and finished in December. Radiation treatment of the breast was sandwiched in between chemo sessions in September. The protocol was virtually painless…so very different from 30 years before. The focus of treatment is now on the well being of the patient not the amount of chemo needing to be pumped into the system. Anti nausea drugs allowed be to continue work throughout the summer and Fall. In January of 2005 my family doctor suggested she remove a few suspicious looking moles. One came back insitu malignant melanoma. She removed it in its entirety and life is going on.

Life Now: Since losing my leg to bone cancer I have lived an incredible life. I married my boyfriend who helped me through those difficult years; I have two wonderful, grown, healthy children, experienced the thrill of winning a national downhill skiing championship; I participate in many exciting sports including kayaking; water skiing; swimming; sailing; biking and so on; I have founded a number of organization supporting children and adults with disabilities and worked with local cancer programs to support newly diagnosed cancer patients. Every goal achieved contributed to my well being and health. Not every day was easy, but I can look back and say every day was worth while…and not only for me.

It is summer again, I am back on the water enjoying my new found passion – kayaking – and focussing on my latest goal… a fund raiser I’m organizing this August for the Assistive Technology Centre, a registered charity I run for children and adults with disabilities.

Thoughts and Hints for New Patients: There is no doubt that cancer has shaped my life. However, cancer doesn’t control my life… its challenges, and its consequences, have made me achieve a higher level of living. I simply would not have been the same person if I had not had cancer. Any challenge can do that, if you look at that challenge from a different angle.