Patient Updates
"Sam" was a typical young girl. She loved cheerleading, gymnastics, hanging out with friends and voting for her favorite singers on American Idol. But soon, a painful bump on her leg was keeping her from her favorite activities. Tests revealed osteosarcoma, a bone tumor. Doctors immediately recommended Sam and her mother travel to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"I screamed and I cried and I wouldn't go. I finally said, "Fine, I'll go, but I'm only staying for 30 minutes, and I'm not talking to anybody," Sam said. It didn't take long for her to realize she should stay at St. Jude a little longer than a half-hour.
"When you're in the hospital and you don't have anything to do, they have a Child Life specialist. You can go to the library or they can page a Child Life specialist, and they can give you games or painting," said Sam.
At St. Jude, Sam underwent surgery to remove the tumor and part of her fibula. Forty-two weeks of chemotherapy followed, in hope of eradicating the cancer that had also spread to Sam's lungs.
Sam's road to recovery hasn't been easy. Infections required additional surgery, and intense and painful physical therapy was needed to help Sam learn to walk again. At any other hospital, this treatment would cost millions of dollars. At St. Jude, all costs were covered, allowing Sam's parents to focus their attention on their daughter's health and happiness.
"St. Jude does not turn away any child due to a families' inability to pay," said Sam's mother. "I was amazed and grateful for this, as I was not able to work during Samantha's treatment." Her mother was also amazed that St. Jude provides lodging and covers travel expenses for the patients and a family member.
Today, there is no sign of the cancer, and Sam has endured follow-up procedures designed to increase her quality of life. In early 2008, she underwent another surgery where surgeons inserted a permanent titanium rod in her leg. Sam is now back on her feet.
When she's not at St. Jude, Sam is back to doing the things young girls do -- like coming up with new ways to style the full head of hair that has grown back since her final chemotherapy treatment.
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