Chordoma survivor: 'Put your faith in the doctors'
“I was very lucky to go to MD Anderson,” says Chuck Schlesinger.
In early 2015, Chuck was playing tennis when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. Thinking it was a sports-related injury, he went to a local specialist north of Houston to get it checked out. But X-rays revealed a tumor.
The tumor sat in Chuck’s cervical spine, nestled among the bones of his neck. Given the tumor’s location in the delicate cervical vertebrae,...
Documentary filmmaker finds courage after chondrosarcoma diagnosis and hemipelvectomy
Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough knows the impact of storytelling. He’s spent 30 years working as a camera operator in television and film....
Understanding chondrosarcoma: symptoms, treatment and prognosis
Chondrosarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer that develops in cartilage cells. It is the most common bone cancer in adults.
Conventional...
Orthopedic oncologist passionate about helping patients regain mobility
Valerae Lewis, M.D., always knew she wanted to be a doctor. Math and science fascinated her. She liked working with her hands. As a child, she already had her career planned out.
“I was going to be a doctor Monday through Friday, a carpenter at my workshop on Saturday and, on Sunday, I would own a gas station, so that I could wipe down all the drivers’ car windows,” Lewis recalls with a laugh.
Today, she may not be a carpenter...
What’s new in CAR T cell therapy? Solid tumor advances
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been an amazing advance for treating blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and multiple...
Children’s Art Project gives osteosarcoma survivor meaningful experiences as both a child and an adult
Jordan Rance was only 11 years old when she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2005.
“I didn’t have any symptoms,” she says. “I got...
Chondrosarcoma survivor returns to hiking after internal hemipelvectomy, physical therapy
Steve Olejniczak had been dealing with pain in his right hip for years before he saw a doctor in late 2019. When he did, doctors said he had...
Young adult chondrosarcoma survivor: MD Anderson helped me avoid amputation
At age 21, most people are still discovering who they are. But I was being treated at MD Anderson for osteochondroma-associated de-differentiated...
Orthopedic oncology surgeon: Being at MD Anderson allows me to do my best work
When I was growing up, I played a lot of sports. In high school, one of my favorites was wrestling. And with a lot of practice, I learned...
One-of-a-kind titanium ribs give chondrosarcoma survivor his life back
Months after his chondrosarcoma treatment at another hospital, Chuck Lichtman developed a life-altering hernia. It made it hard to move, sleep...