Honored Kid

Keely Hess

Age 18
Keely Hess Kid Photo

Location

San Diego, CA, US

Diagnosis

Osteosarcoma

Date of Diagnosis

August 2018

Status

No evidence of disease

Treated At

Rady Children's Hospital San Diego UC Davis Children's Hospital

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My Story

On August 3rd, 2018, Mike and Lynda Hess, as well as their family - Analise, Keely and Court - were headed to Mammoth Mountain for the annual visit to the Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza. Their daughter, Keely, a competitive dancer had been having knee pain for a couple of months, chalked up to overuse, or maybe Osgood-Schlatters. Her pediatrician called Lynda at 8 am that Friday and told her that they'd like to admit Keely to take another look at her knee with a contrast MRI. And then, the world turned upside down. Keely was officially diagnosed with Osteosarcoma - a rare form of cancer, bone cancer - in her upper left tibia. 9 days after starting that road trip to Mammoth, Keely started the first of what will be 18 rounds of brutal chemotherapy. Over the past 9 months she has undergone 3 major surgeries, including multiple skin grafts and the amputation of her left leg above her knee. She spent 13 days in a coma following one of the surgeries. She has three rounds of chemo left. Soon she will be fit for a prosthetic. The treatment for osteosarcoma has not changed in over 35 years. That's not a typo. In 35 years, there has not been a single advance in the treatment for osteo due to a lack of funding. Without research, there can be no breakthroughs, and kids continue to lose life, limb or other functions because the science is just not there.

The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect

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