Honored Kid

Derek Rees

Age 26
Derek Rees Kid Photo

Location

Springfield, OR, US

Diagnosis

Osteosarcoma

Date of Diagnosis

November 2015

Status

In treatment

Treated At

Oregon Health Science University

Change your kid's logo

My Story

Thank you for supporting me and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure. Derek is a senior in high school. He is active in choir, theater, and robotics. He is a fun-loving, easy going wonderful boy who has a strong and positive spirit. In mid November, 2015, while participating in a scene in an Alice in Wonderland production, Derek's femur gave way and he fell. In the subsequent surgery, our surgeon didn't like the look of the bone and did a biopsy. The rest is a whirlwind. While this is not how he planned to spend his senior year, Derek has stayed amazingly strong! We have been blessed with a wonderful team of healthcare providers at OHSU, and great support from family and friends. Derek is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy. He had the tumor and top 7 1/2 inches of his left femur removed in January, 2016. They put in a prosthetic bone. Amazing technology! Cancer is hard. His nausea and recovery from surgery has made it difficult to attend school. He is finishing his high school requirements online and will walk with his graduating class this June.

The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect

Help Give Kids a Lifetime

Infants, children, teens and young adults are depending on us to find cures for childhood cancers — and to give survivors long and healthy lives.

Support lifesaving childhood cancer research today.

Photo submission policy

Please read the photo submission policy and accept below.

By submitting a photograph of yourself on www.StBaldricks.org, you agree to the following terms and conditions for submission of your photograph:

We strongly encourage all users to submit a before and after photo, so that donors and fellow participants can easily recognize and relate to one another.

Any photo containing cartoons, comics, celebrities, nudity, pornography, sexually explicit images or any copyrighted image (unless you own the copyright) is not permitted. This is because photos of celebrities and cartoon or comic images are generally copyrighted by the owner.

Uploading images of other people without their permission is also prohibited.

This photo submission policy applies to StBaldricks.org users. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation reserves the right to review all photos and to remove any photo for any reason at our sole discretion. If you see a photo on StBaldricks.org that you believe does not conform to this policy, email to WebQuestions@StBaldricks.org