My name is Ellie, I am 18 years old and battling osteosarcoma for the third time! 

There are many twists and turns/ups and downs to my journey! I was diagnosed when I was 15 years old after having pain in my knee, hip and back. One night, the pain was so unbearable my mom had to rush me to the ER! That was the day my life changed forever! I faced months of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, losing my hair and sooo much more! After a few consults with surgeons, I was told the only way to save my life would be to have a hemipelvectomy, which is an amputation of my left leg, pelvis, and hip. I spent most of the last three years in hospitals, mainly Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. But my amputation was so uncommon that I was referred to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

 

Since my amputation, I have had to learn to adapt to a new norm, like using a wheelchair, going to physical therapy, aftercare visits, scans, and learning to use a prosthetic! Although this has been physically, mentally, and emotionally the most difficult thing I have ever faced, I am so grateful to be here, alive, breathing, and able to tell my story! I graduated from high school and while I have always had a plan on what my life would look like, cancer changed all of that. My friends are off to college, and all moved into their dorms, going on with their lives, all while I am fighting cancer for a third time! I feel like I have lost so much time doing all the normal things teens are doing because of cancer! Because of this, I have decided to take a year off to decide where I see myself going from here and focus on my healing. I am a visual artist, and art has helped get me through some of the difficult days! I love to spend time creating beauty by painting, crocheting, photography, digital art, ceramics, and now I am going to begin a tattoo apprenticeship. I hope to be able to take some psychology and art classes next year so I can become a pediatric art therapist. Spending so much time in the hospital made me want to be able to help other kids going through what I have gone through, while keeping my love of art alive! I think there is so much beauty in art, and I hope to be able to share that with others! 

 

PCFLV has been a major support system not only to me but to my whole family! They have helped in so, so, so many ways! I remember there were times they sent my mother meal vouchers in the hospital for the cafeteria and gas cards for back and forth travel (which was a lot of travel for us). They host fun events not only for us going through the cancer journey, but also our siblings and family! We’ve gone to back-to-school events, meals from fun restaurants, baseball games and so much more! My mom shared with Michelle and Kristine that I wanted to learn how to drive, and they are helping me with driving lessons. This is a short-term goal of mine, and they are helping me get there! What I love the most is that everyone is so genuine and caring and you can just feel their passion when you are around them! They offer support in ways that help not only physically but mentally and emotionally, like support groups, mom and dad events, and sibling events. I know I’m rambling, but this doesn’t even begin to touch on how much they are willing to help people like me during the hardest time of their lives! 

 

This is why I am asking you to donate to PCFLV…so that they can continue to support other kids in the Lehigh Valley who have been affected by pediatric cancer, too! PCFLV will forever be a part of my life, and I plan to give back in any way that I can! 

 

Written by Ellie

Please consider helping children with cancer and others in our community by scheduling a blood donation at Miller-Keystone Blood Center: https://donor.giveapint.org/donor/schedules/zip