The Doctor asked me how I was feeling and I said I was fine. Then I asked him when was I going to be able to go back to school because I only got to attend the first week in ninth grade at Silverado High School (Victorville, CA). My Doctor looked me in the eye and said I had Stage I cancer called osteosarcoma in my right knee, and I was going to start chemotherapy treatment as soon as possible.

When I heard those words. I felt everything was falling apart because at the time I was going into the ninth grade. That summer, I performed well for the Summer League Freshmen Basketball Team. At the time, my future that was bright and full of promise was now just dwindling away in the wind like debris.

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer and accounts for 3% of all cancers that happen in children. It is one of the few cancers that begin in the bones and sometimes spread elsewhere, usually to the lungs or other bones. This cancer usually affects teens who experience a growth spurt. Boys are most likely to have osteosarcoma than girls, and in most cases, cancer involves the knee.

Stage I cancer is small and is very treatable and has a high cure rate in the majority of cancer patients. Chemotherapy is an anti-cancer drug that is designed to stop the growth of cancer cells in the human body. The Doctor told me about the side effects that were going to occur while on chemotherapy. I was going to experience hair loss, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, mouth sores, and constipation.

My Parents and I were devastated by the news about me having cancer at only 14 years old. We all cried, and I couldn’t completely grasp what was happening to me because what I knew was my life was going to be taken away from me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“I was devastated, shocked, hurt and crushed when I found out he had cancer. It was unbelievable when I found out when the Doctors told me,” my Mother said. “It was like my heart got ripped out of me.”

“I couldn’t believe he had a tumor; I couldn’t believe what I was reading on the paper. I was also devastated and shocked because he was never sick,” my Father said. “That was hard to believe what the Doctors were saying.”

I have two younger siblings who were also devastated when they found out their big brother had cancer. My brother Derek at the time was 12 years old, and my sister Ashley was 10 years old.

“I was devastated,” my Brother said when he found out I had cancer.

“I didn’t really know what cancer was. I didn’t know what was really happening,” my Sister said. “After my Mom and Dad had explained it to me, I was sad. I didn’t know what was going to happen to him because we were constantly at the hospital. Doctors were constantly running tests.”

I had a great support system from family and friends from all over the world. The support system I had came from Australia to multiple states in America. I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me because I was no different than any other teenager. I played sports with friends, played on recreational sports teams, played video games, watched movies and listened to music.

I didn’t understand why I was chosen to have this serious disease at such a young age. All I knew about cancer at the time I was diagnosed was that people get it once they are older. My first day doing chemotherapy treatment was a scary experience because I’ve never been admitted to a hospital before. My roommate was older than me, about 17 or 18 years old and he, unfortunately, lost his leg to cancer and was a hip amputee.

I remember when I first saw him without his prosthetic leg, it terrified me that cancer could take a person’s leg away. In my mind, I remember thinking to be a hip amputee could never happen to me. I was going to be healthy again and pick up my life where I left off. While doing chemotherapy treatment, I couldn’t stop thinking what the Doctor said about the side effects, and I was expecting, waiting for all them to happen to me.

Chemotherapy broke me down mentally, spiritually and physically.

First, I noticed my hair was slowly falling out, then I became very weak, fatigued and I noticeably lost weight. The chemotherapy made me very nauseous, and I always had a bucket close by just in case I had to vomit.

The most difficult side effects I had to endure were mouth sores and dealing with constipation. The mouth sores were difficult because it was hard for me to eat anything, and it seemed like I always had a sore throat. It hurt for me to swallow anything from liquids to food.

Constipation was by far the most difficult side effect I experienced while on chemotherapy. For instance, it got to the point to where I was scared to eat because I knew eventually I would have to use the restroom. I remember the first time I used the restroom while constipated and I was crying because the pain was so severe. When I got done, I saw there was nothing but blood in the bowl.

I needed an alternative to eating, and I started drinking Boost, which is a drink that Doctors recommend for patients in order to supplement their diets and make sure they’re getting the necessary nutrients they need to stay healthy. There were some days when the constipation wasn’t as severe, and I could eat regular food and keep it down.