Introduction

Tumor of any kind comes as a shock for individuals and their families. This is what happened to one of the cancer warriors, Kelly Proudfit. 40-year-old Kelly is from Michigan, USA, and lives there with her partner, Jason, and their 4-year-old daughter. She fought and won her battle with bone cancer through bone cancer treatment.

The Diagnosis

It was 15 years ago that one night, when Kelly was taking off a necklace, she felt a lump on her chest. She immediately called her doctor and booked an appointment for the next day. The doctor examined it and told her that it is a bony cartilage overgrowth, which goes away with time. She was at her gynecologist's office two years later and got the lump checked again. Again, the doctor told her there was nothing to be worried about unless the lump became painful or noticeably larger. Never did a thought cross her mind that it could be bone cancer.

In August 2019, her world fell apart when she got diagnosed with Grade I Chondrosarcoma. She was vacationing with her family when she started experiencing a throbbing pain around the lump, and she also felt that the lump had grown bigger. Without any delay, she scheduled an appointment with her current doctor, who was uncertain about which bone cancer causes triggered this problem in Kelly. She was recommended to go for X-ray and CT scans. The scan results confirmed that it was a malignant neoplasm. After this, she also underwent a bone marrow biopsy to rule out bone marrow cancer. Waiting for 13 days to get the results was very traumatizing for her.

The Journey of Treatment

Kelly's test results showed that she had a low-grade tumor. Her oncologist told her that the good thing about such tumors is that they grow very slowly. But the bad part was that chondrosarcomas start from the cartilage of the bone and are resistant to chemotherapy.

While discussing her treatment options, the doctors explained that the ideal treatment would be to surgically remove the entire tumor (perform an excision with wide margins). If it metastasized, it would have been highly challenging to control it without the help of chemotherapy. Additionally, if the doctors found it tricky to remove the whole tumor, she would require proton radiation later.

While arranging the funds for treatment was not a hindrance, Kelly received significant support from an online fundraiser started by her twin sister Katie. It was amazing to see the generosity of people who helped her, and Kelly is genuinely grateful to each one of them.

A Ray of Hope

Post diagnosis, Kelly thought that nothing would be the same again. But, she was tremendously fortunate that her bone cancer treatment was a success. However, the post-treatment journey turned out to be equally exhaustive for her. She suffered from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when she was under continuous fear of bone cancer relapse. Her oncologist came to the rescue again and introduced her to an oncology stress management program.

Apart from this, Love Heals Cancer and the community outreach team of ZenOnco acted as guiding stars for Kelly as they guided her to adopt an integrated oncology treatment approach. They helped her find the right balance between the medical treatment of bone cancer and the complementary treatment methodologies. The oncologists, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals put their best efforts into obtaining the best possible bone cancer treatment outcome.

On being asked about that one act of kindness, which she cannot forget, she mentions a good friend. It was when Kelly was in the hospital after her bone cancer surgery. Her friend, who stays 8 hours away, gave her a surprise by coming all the way to meet her. It made Kelly feel so special and rejuvenated.

Handling the Aftercare

Kelly's counseling sessions and meditation helped her smoothly sail through the bone cancer recovery phase. She stayed physically active, which helped in her faster recovery. Committing to counseling was particularly difficult for her, and she found it uncomfortable initially. But, as the sessions started, she found comfort and got her mental strength back. Today, she has become conscious about her health and follows some rules:

• Being highly cautious about her diet choices
• Working out five days a week
• Going for regular check-ups
• Taking her antidepressants and other medications on time
• Visiting her oncology counselor without fail

She is specifically thankful to her partner Jason and her sister Katie, who stood by her throughout this difficult phase and kept her morale boosted.

Things to Keep In Mind

According to Kelly, self-examination is of paramount importance. Listen to your body and consult a doctor immediately if you notice anything unusual. For her, it proved true. Being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, which has no definitive causes, made the experience scarier. Further, she did not show many bone cancer symptoms, making it all the more challenging.

She considers herself lucky that her cancer did not spread to other organs. It has taught her not to take life for granted. Another thing that she mentions is that looking up your symptoms on Google may not help. Always consult a doctor.

The Bottom Line

Kelly's message to all cancer patients is that things will get better. Not giving up is the key. Also, the earlier you act, the higher are the chances of getting a timely cure. Reading about other cancer survivors and those currently fighting this battle also encourages you to keep fighting.

If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with bone cancer and is looking for guidance on treatment, we are here to help you.

To get all your queries answered, reach out to ZenOnco.io on +91 99 30 70 90 00.