In October 2007, Ryan wrote the following essay for a school assignment.

Chances of Survival

Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that first starts in the bone. “Like osteoblasts of normal bone, the cells that form the cancer produce bone matrix.” Osteoblasts are responsible for forming bone matrix (connective tissue and mineral that gives bone its strength)”(What 1). The malignant bone matrix of osteosarcoma isn’t as strong as those in a normal bone. Just like many other types of cancer, osteosarcoma can spread from the bone to other tissues including fat, tendons, and muscles. Osteosarcoma’s cancer cells can sometimes part from the main site of the tumor and spread to other bones, lungs, or other internal organs through the bloodstream. This process is known as “metastasizing”. Most commonly, osteosarcoma develops at the end of long bones. An example of this is the knee or the shoulder, which account for 90 percent of all cases. Most of the cases of osteosarcoma are found in young people ranging in ages from 10-24. Usually these cases are labeled as high-grade and require both chemotherapy and surgery for complete recovery.

          Bone cancer is rare compared to other types of cancer. The United States diagnoses about 2000 cases every year. Out of those 2000 cases, 30 percent are in instances of osteosarcoma. People with osteosarcoma do have treatment options depending on the stage and severity of the cancer. The most common treatment is a mixture of cancer fighting drugs called “chemotherapy” and different techniques of surgery.

          The survival rates change from stage to stage. There are 3 common stages of osteosarcoma. Stage I occurs when the tumor is localized. “If the osteosarcoma tumor is found in one location and has not spread to other parts of the body, the cure rate is 65 to 75 percent” (Osteosarcoma 1). Stages II and III occur when the cancer has spread. “Unfortunately, if the osteosarcoma has spread to another part of the body, fewer than 10 people out of 100(10%) live for more than 5 years” (Statistics 1).

          Osteosarcoma has a lot of meaning to me. It was the toughest challenge I have ever been faced with and at times I didn’t think the nightmare was ever going to end. I never thought I would be faced with such a deadly disease at such a young age. I was 15 years old when I was diagnosed. The major thing that got me through it was hope, even though my chances were slim to none. I had stage III osteosarcoma which meant the outlook was very grim. My cancer started in my left femur. There was a football size tumor in my leg when they did surgery. The thing that made my cancer very severe was time. Much time passed from the start of my cancer until the time I was diagnosed. In that time my cancer had spread to my lungs and lymph nodes. 

          The first hospital where I was diagnosed gave me an ultimatum which was to either have my leg amputated or ultimately die. It was the hardest decision of my life and since I’m stubborn but brave I decided to try to find a way to keep my leg. I went to 3 different hospitals where I reached out for help. The only doctor who was as apprehensive as I was to keep my leg did an 18 hour surgery. After losing a lot of blood and having to return to the operating table for four more hours because I was hemorrhaging, I came out the other side of the tunnel.

          I was far from the end though. I had 20 rounds of chemotherapy. Since my cancer had spread to my lungs, I had to have 3 different surgeries to take nodules off my lungs. I had over 80 nodules on each lung. My lung surgeon told me that he had never taken that many nodules off anybody. Hearing that put doubt in my mind, but I still pressed on. Eventually he had taken all the nodules off, including the bottom right lobe of my lung.

          Along with my cancer came a lot of heartache. I had to deal with and overcome adversity. Many doctors gave me very poor chances of survival. Some said they wouldn’t be able to do my lung surgery, and I would have to come to grips with my final years, months, or weeks. Some said they wouldn’t give me more than 6 months to live. The chemotherapy kept me sick for about 2 years. My blood counts would drop which meant I was prone to get fevers which could kill me. At times I wanted to give up after hearing my chances for survival, but then I would tell myself I’m going to prove them wrong. My friends and family supported me and were there by my side through it all which helped a lot.

          The main thing I learned from cancer is that no one is untouchable. Things happen every day to people who don’t deserve it. I watched miracles and tragedies through my experience. I watched people die from stage I cancer. I heard babies crying who had no idea what was happening to them. At times I felt undeserving of the gift of life that was handed to me, but in the end I was thankful. I was thankful for something greater than myself which handled the things I couldn’t control. 

Figure 1:  This figure shows an osteosarcoma tumor that metastasized on the lungs.