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.
Recovery: I had to have someone come into my house to help me learn to walk, which I hated, but did it anyways. I still don’t have full feeling in my leg and the swelling the docs say with never go away.
Recurrence: It came back again when I was pregnant with our second child. But we didn’t know that until he was 4 months old and it was the size of a grapefruit sitting on my groin. How I ever pushed him out (all nine pounds of him) and no one found the tumor is beyond me . This time the surgery caused my leg to be much worse than before, and now I had to try to help be a wife and mom to two kids while trying to figure out this whole mess.
Life Now: I can’t work because of this damn thing and at 28 that makes me mad. But on the flip side, I always said when I was little I wanted to be a stay at home mom and god gave me a way and I even get a disability check for it. Haha. I am not the person I was and I am more understanding. Life couldn’t have taught me what cancer has in such a small amount of time. But life looks different through cancer glass and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thoughts and Hints for New Patients: Well first you have to get mad in order to fight this thing. If you don’t then the “oh me” will keep you down. You need the anger to fight and fight hard. I laughed the whole time I was going through it both times. And I found someone who never once asked me how I felt, just knew by my voice, and talked to me like life was and is still moving around me.