Warrior Stories Warrior Stories

At 19 years old, I said take my leg…

It was like any other June morning in 2019, I was closing in on the end of one my typical morning jogs as I heard a loud “pop” in my left knee. Moments later, the pain set in, a pain that eventually after 6 months of generic medical care, couldn’t be ignored or chalked up to a generic ache. As I sat waiting in the ER wondering what sort of typical issue the doctors would determine, I was completely blind sided with a diagnosis that would change my life forever; I had a softball size mass in my tibia… It was Osteosarcoma, I had cancer.

With little to  no time to develop a less severe treatment plan, the doctors suggested that the most promising route to rid my body of the cancer was to amputate my leg, just above the knee; so at 19 years old, in January of 2020, I said, “take my leg.”

 Through the slew of complications associated with a weakend immune system, I had to adjust to a “new me.”  A new me that had to adapt to not only learning to walk again but had to do so with a less than ideal prosthetic, a prosthetic that initiated further complications in the form of fluid buildup at the amputation line. But I was determined, determined to not let this beat me, determined to fight, determined to win! Just three weeks post op, I was in the gym learning to squat with one leg, adapting to this adversity in a way that I wouldn’t let beat me.

 As life started getting back to normal with my checkups being positive, I hit another wall. It was at the 6month checkup that the doctors had identified 7 new tumors in my lungs, two of which, cancerous. Again, life jumped me with another challenge, chemotherapy….

 I cant tell you what it feels like, I can’t tell you what the internal struggles associated with being told you have 6-12months to live feels like. But what I can tell you, is that I still have a mark to leave. I don’t think that you come to this world for nothing. I’ve still got a lot of shit to get done and that seems like a good area for me to be focused.

Since the diagnosis, I have begun to educate myself in photography, a passion I figured I would at some point turn into a hobby, so what better time than now? I have also been blessed to have the support of one of the most amazing men I will ever know, a man that recently not only accepted the challenge of standing by me through this, but decided that changing my last name and giving me my  forever partner was in order.

With the love and support of my family and those closest to me, I have found purpose and a silver lining in this fight. I will fight, not only for my own life, but to be symbol of hope for people everywhere, in any adverse situation. Because if I can beat this, I want people to know that as long as you don’t give up, there isn’t anything we cant overcome!!!

At 19 years old, I said take my leg…

It was like any other June morning in 2019, I was closing in on the end of one my typical morning jogs as I heard a loud “pop” in my left knee. Moments later, the pain set in, a pain that eventually after 6 months of generic medical care, couldn’t be ignored or chalked up to a generic ache. As I sat waiting in the ER wondering what sort of typical issue the doctors would determine, I was completely blind sided with a diagnosis that would change my life forever; I had a softball size mass in my tibia… It was Osteosarcoma, I had cancer.

With little to  no time to develop a less severe treatment plan, the doctors suggested that the most promising route to rid my body of the cancer was to amputate my leg, just above the knee; so at 19 years old, in January of 2020, I said, “take my leg.”

 Through the slew of complications associated with a weakend immune system, I had to adjust to a “new me.”  A new me that had to adapt to not only learning to walk again but had to do so with a less than ideal prosthetic, a prosthetic that initiated further complications in the form of fluid buildup at the amputation line. But I was determined, determined to not let this beat me, determined to fight, determined to win! Just three weeks post op, I was in the gym learning to squat with one leg, adapting to this adversity in a way that I wouldn’t let beat me.

 As life started getting back to normal with my checkups being positive, I hit another wall. It was at the 6month checkup that the doctors had identified 7 new tumors in my lungs, two of which, cancerous. Again, life jumped me with another challenge, chemotherapy….

 I cant tell you what it feels like, I can’t tell you what the internal struggles associated with being told you have 6-12months to live feels like. But what I can tell you, is that I still have a mark to leave. I don’t think that you come to this world for nothing. I’ve still got a lot of shit to get done and that seems like a good area for me to be focused.

Since the diagnosis, I have begun to educate myself in photography, a passion I figured I would at some point turn into a hobby, so what better time than now? I have also been blessed to have the support of one of the most amazing men I will ever know, a man that recently not only accepted the challenge of standing by me through this, but decided that changing my last name and giving me my  forever partner was in order.

With the love and support of my family and those closest to me, I have found purpose and a silver lining in this fight. I will fight, not only for my own life, but to be symbol of hope for people everywhere, in any adverse situation. Because if I can beat this, I want people to know that as long as you don’t give up, there isn’t anything we cant overcome!!!