Launa's Sarcoma Story

In 2010 I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in my femur. Prior to chemotherapy, they made me have all my teeth removed & I immediately started chemotherapy (very brutal stuff). I had to spend about the first 6 months in the hospital taking 3 types of chemo, and I immediately lost my hair. My right leg was amputated and a rotation plasty was the surgery performed. They basically amputated my femur, put my knee in my hip to rebuild it, which gave me more rotation than an artificial one. They took my lower leg from just below the knee and turned it completely backward (foot and all) and attached it where my femur was. Three days prior to getting my first prosthetic (2011), I fell and broke my ankle in two places on the leg that was amputated. They had to reset the bones (yes, I was screaming).  Two days later the surgeon had to reset it again, no pain meds, no anesthetic, only screaming. I was in the second cast within two days. The cast rubbed the bone so badly that it rubbed a hole in my leg all the way to the bone. You could see it when they took the cast off (very painful).

Wearing the cast so long caused my ankle to just about lock up, so to therapy I went, driving myself to the chemo doctor for a solid week at a time, taking 2 new kinds of chemo 8 hours a day 5 days a week.  I had to have 4 to 6 rounds of this. It wasn't until July of 2011 that I finally received my first prosthetic. I had to learn to walk again, using a walker.  Using crutches, I would walk on my deck then to the road. Finally with all my determination and rehab I began to walk.

My prosthetics never worked well, each time I went they couldn't get it right, they broke one, another broke on me while I was there and each one got worse as I went. Finally I met Steve from Hanger, he had the same surgery I did and he made my prosthetic. I walked. By the next year I needed a new one because the broken crooked ankle began to straighten and change. Steve made another one for me.

I walk a little better but still can't do everything. I was a nursing student and had to drop my classes due to my chemo regiments. I went back to nursing school the following year then in March 2012 a CT scan showed a nodule on my right lower lung, the Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) was there.  Within a few days they did a wedge resection on my lower right lobe and got it all.

I had to drop my nursing school for good this time. I was to start a new cancer trial study (none of the 5 chemo's I took worked). Within 4 weeks of the first lung surgery I had another Osteosarcoma in my upper left lobe on the left lung. They did another wedge resection but this time on the left lung. I finally started my new trial study.

I have recently completed the trial and I am here to tell you that I have been clear ever since. With the Prayers to God for a way to walk again to asking for the trial study, my prayers were answered. I truly believe that without God and without the trial study I would not be here today. I prayed to God. He answered, he gave me a leg to walk on, he gave me the trial study which has saved my life thus far and he directed me to this committee to give what help and input I can to go forward and aid my fellow Sarcoma survivors, our families, and the families of those that have been lost by bringing us together to create this event, to raise awareness about the Sarcoma Cancer, and to raise the funds for future trial studies in the hopes of saving someone else's life. After all, it was someone's research that saved mine. I ask you to reach out and help someone, give to the fund, join our fight.

With love always, 
Launa Sellers