Rachel’s Story

Askin’s Tumor at the spine
Age at Diagnosis: 15
Year of Diagnosis: 1998
Location: Midwest

Diagnosis: I was playing high school field hockey (fall 1998) and my back hurt more and more each day. The pediatrician thought it was from my backpack being too heavy. Then basketball season started and it was hurting even more. One morning I woke up and my feet felt strange. I didn’t think too much of it. The next day my legs and chest were numb. We called the orthopedic doctor (since I was so healthy and only broke my arm once). They said it sounded neurological and gave us names of neurologists. Well one could schedule me in a month, another on Monday (it was Friday). My mom was on the phone with my dad trying to decide what to do and the third neurologist broke into the phone line and said he was off that day but to come in anyways. He did some tests and when we returned from the MRI, he had an oncologist, surgeon, anesthesiologist, etc. lined up. Read more

Kyle’s Story

Ewing’s sarcoma at the spine
Age at Diagnosis: 16
Date of Diagnosis: 1986
Hospital: University of Kansas Medical Center
Team: Dr. Sarah Taylor and Dr. Burton

Diagnosis: I first went to the doctor in 1986 complaining of numbness and soreness in my left elbow. They took an x-ray of that arm, and happen to catch the left side of my spinal cord in the film. The doctor was able to see that there was missing and degraded bone centering around my T1-C7 spinal column.

Treatment: I was referred to KUMED for diagnosis and treatment. They did a biopsy which confirmed Ewing’s Sarcoma. For treatment at the time I was on alternating rounds of Cytoxin, Actiniomyacin, Adriomyacin, and Vincristine. I also did Radiation for 9 months concurrent to the chemotherapy. By the time my high school graduation came around in May of 1988 I was free and clear. At least for the next 15 years. Read more

Brian’s Story

Periosteal osteosarcoma at the proximal femur with recurrence and lung mets
Date of Diagnosis: February 2004
Age at Diagnosis: 24
Location: Illinois

Diagnosis: I began having shooting pains in the fall of 2002 in my right femur while I was attending college full-time at the University of Kansas. I was an active 22 year old at the time and had no reason to suspect that there was anything wrong. I loved to run, was always pretty active and never felt any physical limitations growing up as a kid.

After steady pain, I decided to make a visit to my general physician and see if he could provide any insight into the pain. He said he thought that I might have a “baker’s cist” behind the knee and an MRI would tell us if that was the case. Read more

Nicky’s Story

Ewing’s Sarcoma in soft tissue near the pelvis
Age at Diagnosis: 23
Year of Diagnosis: 2000
Location: New York State

Diagnosis: I found the lump in June and my doc told me it was nothing to worry about. So as it got bigger and started to hurt more I went back and then she sent me off for tests. I found out September 13 that it was cancer, and that they just didn’t know what kind. After losing my slides I finally found out what kind, and started chemo in December (Merry Christmas to me). What a present I got – I lost all my hair two days before Christmas.

Treatment: Well my surgery was scary. I had to learn how to walk all over again. And I had an 18 month old to take care of. I wonder many times why is this happening to me. I just was feeling better after having the baby, depression after having her, and now this. My treatment started in December, and it lasted for 6 months. I had to do two days of chemo with three weeks off, and then 5 days of chemo with three weeks off for six months or so. Read more

Allan’s Story

Osteosarcoma at the Distal Radius
Age at Diagnosis: 23
Year of Diagnosis: 1976
Location: Canada

Diagnosis: I first went to my family doctor in August of 1976. At that time I thought I had broken the arm. The doctor took one look at the x-ray and sent me to the cancer clinic. I was at the clinic on a Monday and had my first operation of many that Friday. At the time thought it was no big deal. Let’s just get on with curing it. Read more

Trista’s Story

Low-grade Osteosarcoma at the skull (orbit)
Age at Diagnosis: 22
Date of Diagnosis: 2003
Location: Oregon

Diagnosis: During the summer of 2003 I was experiencing blurry vision in my right eye and minimal swelling. I thought that I was having reactions from my hay fever but my parents suggested that I go to the doctor “just in case.” I was scheduled for MRI and CT scans to see what was happening internally. The results were shocking and devastating; I had a small tumor growing near my sinus and right orbit. The tumor had been pushing on my eye which was causing the swelling and blurred sight. After reviewing my scans the surgeon told me that it most likely was not cancerous. I was told that I would get the results 2 weeks post-surgery. It took over a month for them to find out that the tumor was in fact cancerous (Osteoblastic Osteosarcoma) and that I may need additional treatment. Read more

Bill’s Story

Chondrosarcoma at the ribs
Age at Diagnosis: 60
Date of Diagnosis: 2004
Location: Australia

Diagnosis, Treatment and Metastases: In 2004 I was diagnosed with a chondrosarcoma on my rib cage that went from the size of a prune to a grapefruit in 6 weeks. They removed the left side of my rib cage and replaced it with a plastic like rib cage. Last year, in November of 2005, I found another 2 chondrosarcomas on my knee and ankle. Due to this I lost my leg and have now had to learn how to walk again. Since then I recently have just had another chondrosarcoma where it originally occurred on my plastic rib cage. Read more

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