After the pain of a sprained ankle was sticking around for months, Mikaela and her family decided to get it checked out. That’s when she was diagnosed with pediatric osteosarcoma – a type of bone cancer.
“We didn’t know anything, so we relied on Children’s to walk us through this, to take us on this journey, this path that we had no idea was even going to take this long because of where the cancer was at,” says Mikaela’s mom Kassandra.
Mikaela was faced with two options: limb salvage or amputation of her leg. Our doctors guided her and her family, giving them all the information they needed to make the best decision for Mikaela. Ultimately, Mikaela made the decision to have her leg amputated just below the knee. The surgery went well, but months later, our doctors discovered the cancer had spread to her lungs, and she underwent surgery and further treatment to remove the nodules.
Because cancer existed in different parts of the body, Mikaela’s case required multidisciplinary care that brought surgeons from different specialties together to collaborate and form the best treatment plan.
“You need all of these great minds to be able put all of the pieces together – it’s a puzzle.” says Kassandra, “And without all of them, the pieces don’t all fit together.”
Even after 12 surgeries and the challenges of this unexpected journey, Mikaela and her family are huge fans of her team in our Surgical Oncology Program and the care she has received.
“I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences for an unfortunate reason,” says Mikaela.
Mikaela has been able to appreciate the bright spots along her journey. Despite the challenging times, she says she’s grateful for the bonds she’s formed and the friends she’s made along the way.
To learn more about our Surgical Oncology Program, visit: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/doctors-and-departments/departments/surgical-oncology/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=slg_surgery_oncology
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