I’m a seventeen year old Senior at Nekoosa High School, But unlike most high school students I have had to overcome possibly one of the most frightening situations a teenager, (or a person of any age for that matter) could imagine. On November 10, 1997, I found out I had a form of bone cancer called osteogenic sarcoma. I soon realized that I was not alone in my struggle. There had been three others in my small community diagnosed with this rare disease within the two years preceeding my own diagnosis. I was told by my surgeon that the likelihood of getting osteogenic sarcoma is about four million to one. Why then is there such a high occurrence of this cancer in our area???? My own personal feelings suggest that the answer to this question can be found by a study of the environment. Perhaps environmental pollution is a contributing factor to the high number of cases. All four of the diagnosed, including myself, are through with chemotherapy, and in remission. However, everyday I wonder who will be next? Who will have to fight this terrifying disease? Will they win the excruciating battle? These are questions that haunt my thoughts, and I feel a need to put a stop to them! The longer it takes for something to be done, the more cases there will be. I don’t want any of my peers to have to go through the dreadful procedures I went through this past year. What I would like is to have a study conducted to find out why this is happening in our small town. I will never be convinced this is a mere coincidence.
Sincerely, Stacy Sainsbury
