I don't want to be aware. I wish it didn't exist and I wish I never had it.
Sarcomas account for 1% of cancers in adults. I had it less than three years ago and I'm aware of it every time I have to go back for scans.
And because of this post, I'm aware of how deadly sarcomas are. Not that I wasn't aware before but writing this post forces me to remember. It's scary af.
I spent the summer of 2022 getting radiation, driving 35 miles round trip, daily, for five weeks. In October, I had a mass removed from my leg that measured four inches at its longest point and weighed about 6 ounces. Recovery was interesting.
I was in a heavy leg brace for a week which prohibited me from bending my knee. Let me tell you, that made going to the bathroom an event. I also had to tote around a drain bag and a wound pump with me everywhere I went. I had to sleep with all of this equipment as well. I was issued a walker and a cane when I was discharged from the hospital and checked into a nearby condo.
During the week that followed, it was my mission to walk. Hubby urged caution but with his help, I accomplished my goal of walking across the street, toting all of my equipment, for a cup of coffee before my first week's convalescence was through.
For the first couple of years, I had to go back every three or four months for scans and checkups. I'm still going but with less frequency - only twice a year now.
And I'm still walking. I think that's what gets me through stressful times, including cancer. Both times. (I had breast cancer in 2019.) The point is I can walk. I'm alive and I still have my leg. (Amputation used to be the cure.)
I celebrate my survival by walking. Since becoming cancer free, I have walked and finished three half marathons. (I trained for a fourth but wasn't able to participate in the event.)
Unbelievably, two other members of my family have had sarcomas as well. I am far too aware of it. The thing of it is, everyone is aware of some kind of cancer one way or another. If you want to be more aware of sarcomas, you can start with the Sarcoma Foundation of America. (If you want to be more aware of my particular sarcoma, look up Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma.)
If you want to donate, please do. But I'm not going to ask you to because you've probably donated to some other cancer-related organization already. I know I have.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. We're all too aware.
And now you're aware of sarcomas. You're welcome.
Meanwhile, celebrate what you can, however you are able, with the people you love. Move forward and do what you can to help in the cure for cancer. All cancers.