When I was 15, I was diagnosed with high-grade aggressive osteosarcoma.

Being in grade 11 and having come to Canada as a refugee, we were just blown away by this diagnosis, and so shocked.

Thanks to the many people that were caring for me, I was able to get treatment and surgeries. I was able to make it through, get into rehabilitation programs and go on to university. I was really thriving.

Then when my second year at university started and I was 19 years old, we got an even more shocking diagnosis that the cancer had spread to my lungs. The outlook they gave us was that I would only have a few months to live, at best.

Thankfully, I was able to meet with an incredible oncologist who had such a fighting spirit. He did a lot of research and made sure that I would get into one of his clinical trials for rare cancers.

The trial was, at best, supposed to keep me comfortable or extend my life by a few months, but it ended up working beyond hope.

As my tumor shrank, more people started getting involved in my care and were able to do surgery and continue my treatments until I was able to be discharged.

That was over 15 years ago, and I’m thankful to that oncologist.

Cancer research has changed my life and has allowed me a life of promise and hope.