In September 2023, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (a rare bone cancer) in my femur. I had been experiencing excruciating pain in my thigh from what we thought was a pulled muscle. Unaware something else was wrong, I took some Advil and went to my sophomore homecoming. Throughout the dance, I tried to enjoy myself, but I was unable to stand for more than 5 minutes at a time due to the pain. A few days later, I went to the pediatrician’s office, who sent me to the emergency room– and then nothing would be the same. Two weeks after that homecoming weekend, I started 8 months of inpatient chemotherapy. At first I felt good about what was happening, we were killing cancer with every hospital admission, but over time, my mental state started to decline. I felt lousy and I would try to sleep as long as I could, or I would scroll on my phone during the time I was awake. Halfway through chemo, in January 2024, I had surgery to remove my tumor. It was an 8 hour procedure where they replaced more than half of my femur, knee, and tibia with implants. When I went back to the hospital to resume chemotherapy and physical therapy to relearn how to walk, I was at my lowest point emotionally. I felt like I had no life or privacy anymore. I was constantly surrounded by people who kept tabs on every small detail of my life and I felt trapped. My only “alone” time was late at night when I would stay up until 3:00 in the morning just so I could feel some form of independence. Finally, in May 2024, I was done with chemo and could walk without crutches. I went back to work over the summer, and then back to school. However, in November 2024, I suddenly had chest pain and couldn't breathe. We went to the hospital and found out the osteosarcoma had metastasized to my lungs. All of a sudden, I was back to where I had started. I would be back in the hospital for another 6 months of inpatient chemotherapy and more surgery. Going into treatment this time, I knew I had to do something different. I wouldn't let myself be miserable and would find ways to cope. I realized that my mindset was everything. I tried to find the good things out of my time in the hospital like becoming friends with the nurses and receptionists. I made up traditions with my family like takeout dinner nights with my mom, or having basketball competitions in the teen room with my dad. Halfway through chemotherapy, had surgery on my lungs to remove the remaining nodules in January of 2025. I got myself through the final months of treatment by looking forward to summer, time with friends, and applying to college to study engineering. In March of 2025, I rang the bell and I began bringing those goals to life. Although there were so many challenging things that a during that time, it's all about perspective and the different ways to think about what I’ve been through. I’ve learned I can dwell on the bad things, or I can look at the good things; and now I can say, from personal experience, looking at the positive makes everything a whole lot easier.

In September 2023, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in my femur. I had been experiencing excruciating pain in my thigh from what we thought was a pulled muscle. I. A few days later, I went to the pediatrician’s office, who sent me to the emergency room– and then nothing would be the same. Two weeks after that, I started 8 months of inpatient chemotherapy. At first, I felt good about what was happening, but over time, my mental state started to decline. I felt lousy, and I would try to sleep as long as I could and scroll on my phone during the time I was awake. Halfway through chemo, in January 2024, I had surgery to remove my tumor. It was an 8-hour procedure where they replaced more than half of my femur, knee, and tibia with implants. When I went back to the hospital to resume chemotherapy and physical therapy to relearn how to walk, I was at my lowest point emotionally. I felt like I had no life or privacy anymore. In March 2024, I decided to go with Children's. In March of 2024, I was given the opportunity to go on a trip to Arizona with the hospital and other kids to see the Rockies' spring training for a couple of days. The day of the trip, my mom and I walked into the hospital lobby to check in. As we got to the front of the line, we. I turn around and see a kid who immediately gives me a big smile, and we say hi to each other. He said, “Hi, I'm Everett”. Immediately following our introduction, we started talking and realized we immediately clicked. We come to find out we are roommates too. The entire trip, we were just talking and genuinely making a connection. I remember texting my mom after the first night, and she was asking how it was, and I told her I made an actual friend with whom I got along a lot. After the trip ended, I thought our relationship would end, but we exchanged numbers anyway. A few weeks went by, and we were still talking. This small thing gave me so much more determination and boosted my mental health more than anyone could have imagined. Not only could I have someone to talk to who can relate to me, but more importantly, I had a friend. Finally, in May 2024, I was done with chemo and could walk without crutches. I went back to work over the summer and then back to school. However, in November 2024, I suddenly had chest pain and couldn't breathe. We went to the hospital and found out the osteosarcoma had metastasized to my lungs. All of a sudden, I was back to where I had started. I would be back in the hospital for another 6 months of inpatient chemotherapy and more surgery. Going into treatment this time. I realized that my mindset was everything. I tried to find the good things out of my time in the hospital, like becoming friends with the nurses and receptionists. I made up traditions with my family, like takeout dinner nights with my mom, or having basketball competitions in the teen room with my dad. Halfway through chemotherapy, I had surgery on my lungs to remove the remaining nodules in January of 2025. I got myself through the final months of treatment by looking forward to summer, time with friends, and applying to college to study engineering. In March of 2025, I rang the bell, and I began bringing those goals to life.