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Stories of Courage and Hope
Story Abstracts by
Tom Swartz
[Editor’s note: Every few days we encounter an inspirational story of a patient or a caregiver that tells of the strength that some are blessed with in dealing with sarcoma. They have cancer, but cancer does not have them. These stories of courage give us hope as we face our own disease or that of a loved one or friend. We would like to share with you some of the stories that we’ve recently encountered.]
Young Mother Leaves Video Diary for Daughter In many ways, Beckie Williamson was a typical 13-year-old girl. But Beckie also had to face a lifetime of challenges in just a few years. When she was 12, Beckie got into a serious relationship with a boy, and at 13 she gave birth to a little girl who she called Courtney. By the time she was 14, Beckie was diagnosed with sarcoma. Despite intensive treatment, her cancer spread. By 15, she was told her sarcoma was terminal and she died just a few weeks after her 16th birthday. She was not scared of dying but of leaving people behind, like her daughter. It was this which drove her to make a legacy video for Courtney. She started filming using the family's video camera. After seeing the powerful footage Beckie and her family were filming, the director of her cancer center suggested they make a documentary. The video dairies followed the ups and downs of Beckie coping with her inevitable decline, and became a valuable distraction from the tension that built up within the family. The documentary “To Courtney, with Love” was broadcast on BBC on May 24th.
Freshman High School Cancer Victim Battles the Odds Michael Cochran, a 14-year-old high school freshman, is gripped in a battle with undifferentiated sarcoma. Last April a lump the size of two fingers appeared on his back. By June the lump grew to the size of a fist in spite of the April diagnosis of a benign growth. Michael’s cancer continued to spread, and his doctors have been frantically trying to find the right combination of chemotherapy to stop the cancer’s growth. Perhaps there is hope as the most recent medical report shows that the cancer did not grow since the previous treatment. Michael’s mother says her son does not complain because he was and still is the eternal optimist. She says he is, “not just a fighter, but a warrior.”
San Marcos Recognizes Education Achievers The San Marcos Unified School District’s annual Excellence in Education Awards Night celebrates the academic and social achievements of students, educators and support staff from 15 schools in the district. One of the awardees this year was Katelyn Craker, age 10, of Twin Oaks Elementary School. Her award represents the end of a difficult and traumatic year after the fifth-grader was diagnosed in October 2004 with synovial sarcoma. Katelyn has gone through surgery and eight months of chemotherapy, but will be returning to school soon on a limited basis. While Katelyn feels like she has been cheated out of her fifth-grade year, her mother says, "She has been a total trouper, she's been through so much."
Cheerleader/Track Athlete Will Wear Pink Shoes Brittani Shurtz, a high school freshman, was practicing for a state competition in cheerleading when she did a back flip and felt a pop in her upper leg. An MRI revealed a Ewing’s tumor of the bone. All the emotions hit home for the family when a pair of hot pink track shoes arrived in the mail. Brittani and some of her friends ordered the shoes for the upcoming track season. While Brittani undergoes treatment, her teammates will go on wearing the pink shoes this season, and Brittani’s attitude is inspiring. She says, “Hey, I might not be wearing them this year but I'll wear them next year for sure.”
Memorial for a Man’s Marathon of Hope On April 12, 2005, a memorial to Terry Fox was unveiled in St. John's, Canada. Twenty-five years ago Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research by walking across Canada. Fox, a high school and college athlete, suffered from osteogenic sarcoma, which resulted in the amputation of his right leg six inches above the knee. Moved by the suffering of children he met while undergoing his own cancer treatment, Fox embarked on his journey of running 42 kilometers a day on a prosthetic leg. After 143 days and 5,373 kilometers, Fox was forced to abandon his run as his cancer had spread to his lungs. Unfortunately, Fox passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22. Nevertheless, Fox's goal of raising $1 from every Canadian has been far exceeded with more than $360 million having been collected for cancer research through the Terry Fox Run, which is now held every year in towns and cities across Canada and around the world. The new memorial, as well as a commemorative dollar coin which will bear his image, is a great tribute to this man’s remarkable run.
Matthew Bendoritis and Terry Fox’s Legacy of Hope Matthew Bendoritis had the same osteosarcoma that killed Terry Fox (see above). Matt was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 1997 after experiencing a shooting pain down his right leg. Like Fox, Matt underwent an amputation of his right leg, although in his case an ingenious but oddly disfiguring surgical procedure saved a good part of the limb. Matt's surgeon used an innovative technique known as hip rotationplasty. The surgeons removed the cancerous thigh bone, from his hip to just above his knee. They then took his amputated lower leg and rotated it 180 degrees so the foot pointed backwards, and screwed the 10-cm stem of the femur to his pelvis. Matt's knee now faces backwards and is up by his groin. In this forced configuration, Matt sits on his kneecap. His calf is now his thigh; the ankle serves as the knee. Aesthetically, the procedure leaves a lot to be desired, but more importantly, Matt remains physically active. He walks unaided, but with a visible limp, and run-hops like Fox. His short limb doesn't have the full range of motion the original had, but he's able to flex it back and forth. The ankle flexes, too. Matt experiences only a bit of numbness on the outside of his shortened leg. Matt’s cancer has come back three times, but each time Matt has fought it off. In total, he's endured four major operations and two full years of exhausting chemotherapy. But Matt shrugs off his siege with cancer as no big deal. "It's like getting a cold, just a little more serious," he says. "It'll pass." Matt’s inspiration remains Terry Fox whose Marathon of Hope and subsequent runs have raised $360 million for cancer research.
Trinidad Woman Thanks Country While Dreams and Purpose Change Ronell Ragbir of Trinidad and Tobago was scheduled to have a bone salvage operation which would have saved her left leg from amputation. With the aid of funds raised by various groups and anonymous donors in her country, Ragbir was able to travel to the United States for the procedure. Upon arriving in the U.S. however, Ragbir was struck with a series of misfortunes including the bad news that she was misdiagnosed, her cancer had spread to her hip, lungs, ribs and possibly her head, and that it was too late to save her leg. Originally diagnosed with oesteogenic sarcoma, Ragbir’s correct diagnosis was malignant fibrous histiocytoma. After her amputation, Ragbir was fitted with a prosthesis and was walking within a year. Now Ragbir is adjusting to life without her left leg. While Ragbir is discovering that her dreams are changing, so perhaps is her purpose in life. She is now interested in pursuing inspirational speaking and being vocal about the rights of disabled people and the lack of facilities in Trinidad and Tobago for those who are disabled. She expresses thanks to her countrymen and her doctor who was influential in her seeking treatment in the U.S.
Cancer Can't Affect Boy's Spirit Cancer may have placed a claim on Frankie Barrientos' childhood, but it has neither dampened his spirits nor crushed his mother's hope that he will live beyond the six months he was given. Diagnosed at age 3 with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, Frankie is full of questions. He asks questions about his cancer, his father who died a year previously in an accident, and a fire that recently claimed the family home. Further misfortune struck when it was discovered that Frankie’s cancer spread to his brain. Nevertheless, Frankie is active and happy. He never complains, despite the seclusion he sometimes endures. He loves the hospital, and when he walks in he says, “Hello, everybody,” like Norm on Cheers. Forty Five minutes after his brain surgery, he was up and asking the nurses for pancakes. Although the family’s life is hectic, there is still time for special moments, as when his mother took him to the ocean for the first time. Frankie’s eyes were wide open with fascination at the experience.
1,000 Celebrate Life Amid Cancer The Upper Bucks Relay for Life, a fund-raising event for the American Cancer Society, brought together more than 1,000 people that have been affected by the disease in some way to raise money and enjoy some games and entertainment in a celebratory atmosphere. The way Relay for Life raises funds is through a series of activities that include teams of up to 10 people continually walking the almost 1-mile perimeter of the Quakertown Memorial Park for 24 hours. Most of the teams stay overnight in the park in tents and generate money through sponsors. Other methods include food stands, the sale of luminaries, cancer survivor bracelets, T-shirts, a Wiffle ball tournament, flea market, games, raffles and bingo. This year the event also featured a baking contest. At dusk, the names of those who have died from or are fighting the disease were to be read. The list of names takes at least two hours to read. The goal of this year’s event was to raise $200,000.
V2N3 ESUN Copyright © 2005 Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative
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