An Inspiring Story of a Young Sarcoma Survivor Turned Model
- Iona Hay, 18, is a fashion design student in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s also a childhood osteosarcoma survivor what had to have her leg amputated at 6 years old.
- Hay is now thriving as a student and a model with gigs clinched for brands like Burberry and H&M. She hopes to show other amputees “the beauty in their prosthetic limbs” with her modeling and eventually design clothes for people with prosthetic limbs.
- Body positivity might not come easy for all cancer survivors. But getting to a point where you’re embracing your body, like Hay, can help you live life to the fullest.
Hay was diagnosed with osteosarcoma a type of bone cancer when she was 6 years old in 2008. That same year, she had to have her leg amputated for treatment. Tragically, the diagnosis came just one year after her mother, Fiona Dolan, passed away of a brain tumor at age 36.
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By proudly showcasing her prosthetic leg, Hay aims to show other amputees “the beauty in their prosthetic limbs” and instill the importance of confidence in them.
“I want to show that you can achieve with prosthetic limbs,” she said. “I didn’t have that representation in the media growing up.”
And her aspirations don’t stop there. She eventually would like to use her future degree to directly impact other amputees.
“Designing for those who have prosthetic limbs is so important to me,” she said. “I want everyone to be represented if I were to become a fashion designer, that’s the dream.
“Modeling has given me an amazing insight into behind the scenes.”
Understanding Sarcomas
The term sarcoma is used to describe an array of more than 70 rare cancers that begin in the bones and the soft tissues, such as muscles. This diverse group of diseases accounts for only about one percent of tumors in adults and just over 10 percent of tumors in children.
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The main symptom of sarcomas is generally a slow-growing, painless mass, but symptoms can be hard to detect as soft tissue sarcomas are typically painless and bone sarcomas can be mistakenly diagnosed as orthopedic injuries.
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"Unfortunately, most sarcomas do not cause many of the symptoms that may be associated with other cancers," Dr. Dale Shepard, director of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute Phase I and Sarcoma Programs, tells SurvivorNet. "A mass the size of a golf ball or larger and growing should be evaluated as a potential sarcoma. It's important that patients who do have symptoms are not dismissive of them."
Types of Sarcoma Cancers
The word sarcoma refers to a large array of bone and soft tissue cancers, and individual cancers within that set go by unique names. Some of the types of sarcomas include:
- Ewing's sarcoma is a cancer that typically occurs in and around the bones, often in the arms or legs, or the bones of the pelvis. It most commonly occurs in children and young adults.
- Kaposi sarcoma is a very rare type of cancer that causes lesions on the skin, in lymph nodes, organs, and the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat. It typically affects people with compromised immune systems, such as those with HIV.
- Epithelioid sarcoma is a type of soft tissue cancer that grows slowly. It is likely to begin under the skin of areas like the finger, hand, forearm, lower part of the leg, or foot.
- Synovial sarcoma, also called malignant synovioma, is a cancer that can form soft tissues such as muscle or ligaments, commonly close to joints or in areas like the arm, leg, or foot.
- Osteogenic sarcoma, also called osteosarcoma, is the most common type of cancer that starts in the bones. This is the type of cancer Hay had.
- Spindle cell sarcoma is very rare, comprising as little as 2 percent of all primary bone cancer cases. It can start in the bone, often in the arms, legs, and pelvis, and usually occurs in people over 40.
Body Positivity and Cancer
Hay is on track to achieve really anything she sets her mind to, and she wants to “inspire other young amputees” to do the same. Thankfully, her modeling agency is on board with her agenda too.
“We’re really excited to see what’s next for Iona,” a spokesperson for her modeling agency said. “Iona has a timeless look that’s highly sought after in the industry. We’re hopeful that as more brands become more inclusive of disability that she’ll be booking some huge jobs with us.”
Other cancer survivors, like Ann Caruso, share a similar perspective.
Caruso had 12 surgeries to treat her breast cancer and told SurvivorNet that all of the change really affected the way she saw her body.
"You're not the same carefree person that you once were, and it was very hard for me to look at myself every day," Caruso said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. "It was like I was a totally different person and didn't fit into any of my clothes for so long."
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But the celebrity stylist has learned a whole lot about femininity and body image since beating breast cancer. She hopes to impart her knowledge upon others dealing with similar struggles.
"Femininity is a state of mind," Caruso said. "And I think that's something that we have to remind ourselves."
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