A Little Bit Of Joy– Local Firefighters Fill Up The Pool So That This Little Cancer Survivor Can Swim This Summer

"Thinking of that evening brings tears to my eyes. It was so kind out them and so unexpected,” said Seyler’s parents. "We are new to the community and this act of kindness was greatly appreciated.”

Deven Seyler was diagnosed in March with osteosarcoma of the distal femur in March, a cancer which begins in a leg bone. His treatment includes chemotherapy for four to five days a week for 10 to 11 hours at a time, and he wore a leg cast until undergoing knee replacement surgery on june 7th.

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Deven’s parents purchased their home in Millstone Township with a pool so that Deven could do aqua-therapy, but this summer, with all of the medical bills to pay, they could only purchase two of the five truckloads of water needed to fill the pool.

Instead, firefighters from the Hope Fire Company and Millstone Fire Company near the family’s home offered to fill the Seyler family pool and spend some time with Deven.

Information about childhood osteosarcoma

Childhood osteosarcoma is a rare disease, but it is the most common cancerous bone tumor among children, adolescents and young adults, according to the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. It affects about 400 people under the age of 20 per year in the United States.

Osteosarcoma occurs more often in boys than in girls, and is most common between ages 10 and 20. It also often occurs during a growth spurt. The cancer can spread to other parts of the body, most commonly beginning with the lungs.

The symptoms of osteosarcoma in children depend of the size and location of the bone tumor, but they may include pain, stiffness or tenderness at the site of the tumor, pain that gets progressively worse over time, and may radiate outward from the tumor site, pain that awakes the child from sound sleep, swelling or mass around the affected bone, decreased motor skills; including difficulty walking or limping, weak bones, which may lead to a fracture, fatigue, weight loss and anemia.

Osteosarcomas located near the spinal cord may cause back pain that radiates out through the arms or legs.

Treatment for childhood osteosarcoma always involves chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may be given before surgery, after surgery, or both. The goal of surgery for this cancer is to remove the tumor and restore function to the site of the tumor. in about 90 percent of cases, this cancer can be treated with limb-sparing and reconstructive surgery.

In rare cases, radiation therapy may also be an option for treating this type of cancer.

 

 

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