September Warrior – Dominick

Dominick - Warrior

Six months ago my then 6-year-old son Dominick had a terrible limp.  After a few doctors visits and being told he had “growing pains,” we went to a Orthopedic practice in our hometown Altoona, Pennsylvania. That doctor did an MRI and found a mass on his right distal femur.  He sent us to Pittsburgh immediately. He referred us to Dr. Ward and he took one look at the MRI and sent us to Dr. Kurt Weiss. I look back at things now and I realize God guided us into the best hands possible. He ordered a bone biopsy and gave us a definitive diagnosis, osteosarcoma! We had never even heard that word before and had no idea what to expect.

Next we met Dr. Scott Maurer, another amazing doctor we are so lucky to have. He did 10 weeks of chemo and then had a complete resection of his leg. Dr. Weiss used a Stanmore Mega Expandable.  The surgery was a success and we are now in week 20 of treatment.  Only 10 more to go! Dominick is an amazing young man. He NEVER complains and does everything that is asked of him. His spirits are high and he fights always.  As of the last CT scan, his lungs are clear. If it should spread, we will continue to fight.

He turned 7 on June 6, the same day as our local relay for life.  He was such an inspiration to everyone there and he made the front page of the paper. This has been the scariest thing we have ever had to live through.  It is a parent’s worst nightmare. I hate seeing him suffer. He just smiles at me when I cry and says, “it’s okay mom. I’m gonna be okay!”  He is wise beyond his years!

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If you or a loved one has been impacted by sarcoma cancer, we encourage you to share your story.  Sharing your story can be such an inspiration to others who are dealing with sarcoma in their own life and remind us all of the urgency to find better treatments in order to make an impact on the devastation that sarcoma cancer brings. Let your experiences help others become involved with raising awareness!