Reed M.

Diagnosis

Osteosarcoma

Physician/Team

In sixth grade, I was an active kid who played sports and went skiing with my family. In fact, it was when I was skiing that I really took notice of my first symptom – a persistent pain in my knee. After about a month, the pain was still there and my parents decided I needed to see a doctor.

It was all very normal at first. The sports medicine doctor took an x-ray, and when he noticed a shadow near my femur, he sent me for an MRI. Later that day, the doctor called my mother and let her know they were sending me to a surgical oncologist the next day.

An Unexpected Diagnosis

Seeing the word “cancer” as you walk into a treatment building is intimidating. But as a family, we assured ourselves that we were just doing this to rule out cancer. We met with Dr. Wodajo, a Musculoskeletal Tumor Surgeon at Virginia Cancer Specialists.

At 11 years old, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. I was scared. I wondered what cancer meant for my future and for my life. The doctors on my care team took the time to reassure me and let me know that I was not alone in my diagnosis. Not only did I have an amazing support system in my family and an excellent team of cancer specialists, I learned that there were other kids who had been in my same position and were now thriving. That helped alleviate some of my fear.

A Challenging Road

Throughout my treatment, I faced several challenges. After surgery and during follow-up care, I struggled with pain and severe nausea. I lost a lot of weight. I really had to depend on my support system to help me through the tough times.

Aside from my amazing family, I was lucky that the hospital where I was being treated had an excellent program for children where I could play with Legos and receive visits from police officers and firefighters. Thanks to this, I was able to feel like a normal kid.

Years later, I still face some challenges. Since the tumor was at my growth plate, my leg had to be stabilized and therefore didn’t grow as much as normal. Last summer, I had a successful follow-up surgery to help extend my leg.

Innovative Technology

Along with cancer care, my surgery also involved some incredible technology, the kind that has helped spark my ongoing interest in the medical field. Dr. Wodajo was able to harness 3D-printing technology and create my own personalized model of prosthetic. Through that innovation, I was able to keep a portion of my femur intact. To this day, I share the incredible images of my surgery with my health teachers and classes.

My Life Now

Five years since my diagnosis, I have overcome the challenges and achieved some of my biggest goals. It wasn’t easy – but I was determined.

In my freshman year, I was crushed when I didn’t make the baseball team. Rather than letting the disappointment hold me back, I began working and training harder than ever. And by my sophomore year, I tried out again and made the team.

I had childhood cancer, and now I’m a pitcher on my high school’s varsity baseball team.

A Look into the Future

Overcoming so many challenges at such a young age has given me an incredible fighting spirit – or maybe it was already there and the diagnosis brought it out. Either way, my experience going through cancer has impacted what I plan to do with my life.

In school, I’m taking medical classes in the hopes of entering the field of sports medicine. Through my cancer journey, I gained a lot of insight into the world of medicine. Now, I’m ready to become the person who helps support patients and their families so they can have the same bright future as I do.