Sarah has always been an upbeat, very energetic girl. Loved her sports, Softball, soccer, rollerblading, basketball..and was finally looking forward to starting volleyball. She always has a smile and can win you over with it. She had been complaining for 6mnths about pain in her left leg below the knee. I had her in & out of the Dr office trying to find a reason why. The Dr would never xray...just chalked it up to growing pains, then "oh, she must have just strained it from the sports". All the while the pain continued. The girls & I had moved during this and in January 06, she came home and the leg was swollen. I knew something was really wrong and she couldn't walk on it at all without extreme pain. So I found a Dr here in town and that is when it all began.....they xra...
Sarah has always been an upbeat, very energetic girl. Loved her sports, Softball, soccer, rollerblading, basketball..and was finally looking forward to starting volleyball. She always has a smile and can win you over with it. She had been complaining for 6mnths about pain in her left leg below the knee. I had her in & out of the Dr office trying to find a reason why. The Dr would never xray...just chalked it up to growing pains, then "oh, she must have just strained it from the sports". All the while the pain continued. The girls & I had moved during this and in January 06, she came home and the leg was swollen. I knew something was really wrong and she couldn't walk on it at all without extreme pain. So I found a Dr here in town and that is when it all began.....they xrayed, did an MRI and then called me to say my daughter had cancer and I needed to get her to childrens memorial immediately. After a biopsy of the site, she was diagnosed with Ewings Saracoma. I was devastated...as any parent would be..and yet angry that this could have been found 6mnths earlier if the Dr would have just done something.
But I found the strength to move on in Sarah. No matter what the tests, or surgeries she faced...my child continued to smile. When she lost her hair, I cried! She said, "Mom...it's just hair..it'll come back." She was so accepting and I was dying inside.
We started chemo, then faced the surgery to remove the tumor from her leg, then 5 wks of radiation. All the while, still doing chemo and making our 4hr trips into Chicago & back everyday. Then the metal in the leg broke in Dec06. We looked at it as just another setback. We completed our chemo in January and proceeded with yet 3 more surgeries to her leg. As of April 20th..which we just saw the Dr. the bone is healing once again..but not fast enough. They will give it 8wks & at that time, if it's still not good enough..she will face yet another surgery. We pray that God will find a way to make this bone heal and get Sarah back to being the "normal" kid she so badly wants to be.
As of January 07, Sarah is considered in remission. So we look at each day as a blessing and know that God has heard my prayers. And I get up each day, thankful that I have one more day with my daughters Sarah & Donna.
And Sarah gets up each day....just the same...as a crabby preteen who hates to get ready for school (homework of course) but loves the socialization!!! She's longing for the day she can get back to her horseback riding lessons and riding a bike.
I want to thank everyone who participates in this fundraiser. For every child deserves a chance at life!!!! We have developed so many wonderful relationships with the kids we've met along the way...some we have lost and are saddened that they didn't get one more day. Sarah also has a website we would like to share...I keep it updated with her progress and photos. It's www.Carepages.Com....her carepage is SarahT95.
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