Jennifer’s Story

Osteosarcoma at the Fibula
With lung mets
Age at Diagnosis: 13
Date of Diagnosis: 1990

Diagnosis: When I was 13 years old I was walking outside one day and noticed I couldn’t walk without a limp and had a lump around my fibula. I thought I might of fell when I had gone roller skating and just didn’t remember falling. Needless to say a week later I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Of course I didn’t think anything about it being serious. I just thought surgery would be performed and that was it.

Treatment: My parents ended up getting a second opinion. They were told it was just an aneurism bone cyst. So they took it out and took half of my fibula out. A year later the same thing happened. It was back and I had no idea my life was going to change. My parents found another hospital out of state that specialized in osteosarcoma. They tried to save my leg but it was just too risky. I had chemo for a year. I was so depressed. Being sick, losing my hair, being away from home. I was terrified. I was told they were going to have to amputate above my knee. I thought no one would ever be my friend, guys would never like me. You know at the age of 14 1/2, that’s an important time in your life.

Recovery and Metastasis: I went through rehabilitation after getting my prosthetic, and I went back to high school. Then in 1995 after I graduated high school, it came back to both lungs. Here we go again I thought. I knew what I was going to have to go through this time. I knew how sick I would be.

Life now: Well, now I am 28 years old and I have 4 children. I am 10 years cancer free!!!! My survival rate at the time it came back to my lungs was 20%. I was told I would never be able to have children. This just shows that miracles can happen. I do very well; I can do just about anything if I put my mind to it. Never say never!!!

I am a stay at home mother. My husband is wonderful. He is the love of my life and he is always here to support me and supports me wanting to help other cancer patients. I thought I would never have anyone that wanted me because of my leg, but that was not the situation at all. If someone loves you, it doesn’t matter.

Thoughts for patients: Take one day at a time. I would love to talk to any cancer survivors or anyone going through it. I would love to help anyone get through rough times of fighting cancer. God Bless, Jennifer.