Wednesday Warrior – Michael

My name is Michael and this is my story. I had noticed a small bump on my right leg just above the knee about the size of a quarter. I have always been a runner so I pointed it out to my primary care physician about nine years ago. For eight years and two different Doctors, we just kept an eye on it. About two years ago it started to grow to six inches and since I am a runner I dealt with any discomfort until one day I asked my massage therapist to look at it. She encouraged me to have it looked at since it could grow and cause nerve damage to the leg. The next week an MRI was performed and the tumor was discovered. After many scans and biopsy, it was determined to be stage 3 soft tissue sarcoma. The plan of attack was 25 radiation treatments, surgery to remove the leg muscle that it was growing from, and then six months of Chem which meant one week straight in the hospital and three weeks out to recover for a six month period.

It’s been 11 months since my prognosis and I have completed all these steps, including the physical therapy, in order to get my leg back to running condition. My Doctors feel confident that they were able to get it done in time and I am just happy to still be around for my family.

I could not have done it without my wife Stacey, family and friends who have been with me throughout the whole ordeal. I am running again, riding my mountain bike, and my hair is starting to grow back. I will be back completely before I know it.

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!