Alexandra

Active LifeList Participant

I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 21 years old. Earlier this year, I started a new job as a hostess when I began experiencing pain in my right leg. At first, I assumed it was a shin splint, but the pain only worsened as time went on. The pain had become so bad I was convinced it had become a stress fracture. I went to the ER where they took an x-ray of my leg. The doctor noticed a mass that he believed to be some sort of bone cancer and advised further testing. I did not have a primary care doctor at the time which made getting referrals for testing/biopsy difficult. Seven different doctors told me with increasing certainty that they believed I had cancer, but there were still more tests to do to be certain. This continued for about three weeks and was one of the scariest parts of the whole experience as I knew I most likely had cancer but without a formal diagnosis, I couldn’t start treatment. Eventually, I was referred to a doctor who performed a biopsy on my leg on July 26, 2024. The biopsy confirmed the mass to be cancer and I was officially diagnosed with osteosarcoma a few weeks after my 21st birthday. Having an official cancer diagnosis was terrifying, but it was a confirmation of what I already knew and came as a form of relief. A diagnosis meant I could finally begin to fight. I began chemo on August 2nd and am currently a little over halfway through my treatment plan.

Alexandra’s LifeList:

  1. New MacBook Air

Cara

Active LifeList Participant

In December of 2023, at the age of 34, I was diagnosed with triple-positive invasive ductal carcinoma. Since then, I have undergone multiple biopsies, bloodwork, fertility preservation, port placement surgery, monthly Lupron shots since January 2024, six rounds of chemotherapy with cold capping, lumpectomy, and lymph node removal surgery, thirty rounds of radiation, nine out of fourteen rounds of oral chemotherapy, and daily hormone blocking medication to prevent recurrence, as well as many medications to manage the various side effects of my treatments. I have been in active treatment since January 2024 and will continue to be until at least April 2025. The toll this year has taken on myself and my husband is immeasurable, affecting mind, body, and spirit.

Now at 35 years of age, I am moving so close out of the hardest year of my life, and am attempting to pick up the pieces of the shattered life cancer has left me with. I have been off work since June 2024 due to the side effects of my ongoing treatment. Along with many physical ailments, one of the hardest aspects has been the mental health struggles that my diagnosis and treatment have brought on, and it will be an ongoing battle for me to manage this moving forward into this new, altered life I am living. We are looking to add back in little bits of joy where we can day to day and reprioritize our time and life plans as we move on to live.

Cara’s LifeList:

  1.  A trip with her husband

  2. Enrollment in an Advance Practice Certificate course

Ty

Active LifeList Participant

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer, in December of 2021 when I was 36. I had been exhausted and there was a pain in my leg that wouldn’t go away. The best way I can describe the sensation is like a cramp that you could try and ‘walk out’, but no matter how many walks I took or stretches I did, it wouldn’t go away. Sometimes my back would spasm and I couldn’t move for a full 24 hours without excruciating pain, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to when it would happen. It turns out that I had lytic lesions in my hip and spine, but that’s not what actually got me diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Those were just symptoms that I had attributed to coming out of COVID lockdown and needing to move more. My naturopath does a complete blood count (CBC) test with my annual physical every year. In 2020, she noticed that the proteins in my blood were elevated. In 2021, they had doubled so she referred me to hematology who then diagnosed me with multiple myeloma. From December 2021-September 2022, I was treated with radiation, induction chemotherapy, and then a stem cell transplant. I got “very good partial response” from the transplant,  and began a maintenance regimen of immunotherapy. Unfortunately, my immunotherapy has failed. I start CAR T therapy this January.

Ty’s LifeList:

  1.  Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop with M3 chip

Denica

Active LifeList Participant

I was diagnosed with cancer in November in 2023 when I was 32 years old. I was originally diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma but that diagnosis was updated to leukemia. Soon after my diagnosis, I got accepted into a clinical trial, but after the first round, I was so sick that I ended up in the hospital with hypercalcemia where I could not walk or function properly. While in the hospital they started with my first round of regular chemo. I then went on to complete six rounds of chemo and I also had a bone marrow biopsy and PET scan, and fortunately, no cancer was found in my lymph nodes. After completing chemo I had to start working on preparing for a stem cell transplant. I was cleared and ready, but my two donors fell through and I started the process of finding a donor over again. In September, we found a new donor, and in October I underwent my transplant. I then spent a month in the hospital working on getting my counts up, fighting mucositis, and working on coming home. I am currently still working on my counts.

Denica’s LifeList:

  1. Family trip to Columbia

Trey

Active LifeList Participant

I’ve been a competitive swimmer since the age of eight and despite the fact that I have epilepsy, I was able to reach the high point of my swimming career by competing for a spot on the Olympic team in Indianapolis at the US Olympic Trials in 2024. I got to continue my dream of swimming in college where I was recruited as a distance freestyler and registered for summer courses. Four days after my last swim at trials, I moved into the dorms on my 19th birthday. Unfortunately, a couple weeks into summer classes I started getting horrible pain in my neck so I had an MRI taken and the doctors found a tumor growing on my C3 spine. I was immediately taken to the hospital and I spent 2 weeks getting tested which ultimately led to my diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma, just one month after my 19th birthday. On the first day of fall classes I was starting chemotherapy instead of school. Knowing the long road I had ahead of me, I made the decision to return home to my family where my new goal for the year is to beat cancer and epilepsy! Although I’m taking things day by day I look forward to being back in school and the water and starting my freshman year all over again in the fall of 2025.

Trey’s LifeList:

  1. OneWheel Pint S

Tamara

Active LifeList Participant

I found a hard spot on my right breast while in the shower on my 37th birthday. I didn’t think much of it, but I followed up with my gynecologist when it didn’t go away. After my first mammogram, an ultrasound, and biopsy, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer on July 10th of 2024. This was a complete shock since I was in my 30s with no family history or genetic markers. I’m currently in the midst of a standard treatment plan, including about six months of chemo, surgery, possible radiation and about five months of immunotherapy. This has been the hardest time of my life, but I’m grateful for each day passing to get closer to the end.

Tamara’s LifeList:

  1. Trip with friends

Shyanne

Active LifeList Participant

At 32 years old, I was diagnosed with inoperable cervical cancer. It was missed by many doctors and I had to do a lot of advocating for myself to finally get to that conclusion. I have gone through many different treatments, but my main focus was getting my body and my immune system in the best shape possible to be able to handle whatever was to come. I chose an integrative path of healing combining many different modalities. Cancer is so sneaky and finds 1,000,000 ways to hide and morph. It has been relentless over the past year and a half, but I just keep going. I love reading about the science behind cancer and what new treatments are coming out. I have also been reading through old published medical papers, so it has been an adventure.

I just finished up two rounds of chemotherapy, and my body had a great response. Now I’m awaiting my next adventure doing proton beam radiation. I am feeling very hopeful about this next step.

Shyanne’s LifeList:

  1. Trip to Kyoto

Sharri

Active LifeList Participant

Sharri has Down Syndrome and her mom shared that she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May of 1994 at the age of six. She went through treatment and was in remission and cancer free until October of 2024 when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Sharri’s cancer is very rare and the treatment has been difficult. She had a cerebral hemorrhage and, a few days later, had stroke-like symptoms and a blood clot was found. She has difficulty walking long distances and tires easily.

Sharri’s LifeList:

  1. Have fun with her family

Sarah

Active LifeList Participant

I was 30 years old in June of 2023 when I was diagnosed with stage 2b triple positive breast cancer. I moved home to be closer to a renowned hospital and everything started moving very quickly. I immediately had a medical and a surgical oncologist, and not long after, I had a radiation oncologist as well. Before I even knew what was happening, my treatment plan was made, & I was preparing to start chemo. I started chemo on August 1, 2023, and got six rounds and started a hormone blocking drug. It put me into medically-induced menopause, to help protect my ovaries from the chemo. After finishing chemo, I started 2024 with radiation. I participated in a trial which allowed me to do radiation prior to surgery and to get immediate reconstruction with my double mastectomy. I will be taking hormone therapy drugs for ten years.

Sarah’s LifeList:

  1. Trip with her mom

Michael

Active LifeList Participant

I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was 24. I was hospitalized for a couple months then spent a few months recovering at home. Since then I’ve been taking meds everyday to keep the cancer under control.

Michael’s LifeList:

  1. Trip to visit his little brother

  2. Manga