At age 21, most people are still discovering who they are. But I was being treated at MD Anderson for osteochondroma-associated de-differentiated chondrosarcoma. That’s a rare type of bone cancer originating in the cartilage. It’s usually found in much older men.
I’d never heard of MD Anderson before my diagnosis in 2015. But one of my mom’s friends in the Rio Grande Valley insisted that we go there.
I am eternally...

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...
Months after his chondrosarcoma treatment at another hospital, Chuck Lichtman developed a life-altering hernia. It made it hard to move, sleep...
When Annette Rios was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, doctors told her they’d need to amputate her right leg just below the knee.
“The cancer had formed in the small bones of my heel,” Annette said, “and the doctors told me amputation was the most effective way to remove the tumor along with any cancer cells that may have spread.”
The surgery, while necessary, also came with a drawback known as phantom...

Discovering I had bone cancer when I was only 12 forced me to mature very quickly. Doctors found a growth about the size of an orange in my...
Losing bone density is common as you age, when cells that help rebuild bones aren’t replaced as quickly. Because of this, your bones may become...
I’ve been an educator for 16 years and a high school librarian for eight. I teach kids how to do research, so I know how to find stuff online...
Although it's been 18 years, I still clearly remember how scared my family was when I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in my right femur...
Cancer doesn’t run in my family or my husband’s. Only one of my ancestors had it: my paternal grandmother died of lung cancer when I was 11...
In 2016, osteosarcoma was the last thing on my mind. I was a typical and active high-school junior playing sports and hanging out with my...