Charleston Police Chief ‘Is Learning To Drive Again’ After Losing Leg To Cancer

“In early October, I learned that I was among the 1.9 million Americans to be diagnosed with cancer this year,” he said in a statement from November 2021. “While this news was met with equal parts shock and sadness from myself and my family, it was also met with our collective resolve to confront this challenge head-on… Rest assured, I am up for this challenge and plan to fight with everything I've got.”

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His diagnosis was a rare one: a type of sarcoma called a triton tumor. For treatment, he’s had to have a hemipelvectomy an uncommon type of lower-extremity, above-the-knee amputation that cost him his right leg. He’s also had chemotherapy with more rounds to go, but his sprits are high as he moves closer to having a prosthetic put in place.

He’s also currently rehabbing physically and mentally in the hopes of being able to drive a car again soon.

“Just being independent. The more independent I am the more effective I can be, the better I feel,” he said of wanting to relearn how to drive. “The experts here at Roper are going to work with me and we’re going to get out on the road and drive.”

The chief’s car will also need some restructuring to make it a suitable for him, but Reynolds is up for the challenge of learning  new steering and pedal set up.

“I have one foot that I can use and drive just like everybody else,” he said. “[His team will] direct me and guide me and help me to make sure that when I get out there, I can do it safely to get my independence back and you know — kind of one small step at a time.”

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. 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.

"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.
• 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.
• And Reynolds’ type of sarcoma was a malignant triton tumor a soft tissue sarcoma that’s a very rare and fast-growing cancer and forms in the nerve sheath (a protective covering around nerves that are not part of the brain or spinal cord).

The Resilience of Cancer Warriors

At SurvivorNet, we get to share stories of resilience all the time because there's no shortage of brave cancer warriors holding onto hope in the face of adversity.

“I am committed to serving the Charleston community and look forward to the opportunities ahead,” Reynolds said back in February just after beginning rehabilitation.

RELATED: 6 Cancer Survivors Tell Us How They Stay Hopeful During Difficult Times

Danielle Ripley-Burgess, a two-time colon cancer survivor, is another resilient cancer survivor like Fitting. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer in high school and proceeded to beat the disease not once, but twice.

Understandably so, Ripley-Burgess has had to work through a lot of complex emotions that came with her cancer journey. Even still, she's always managed to look at life with a positive attitude.

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"As I've worked through the complex emotions of cancer, I've uncovered some beautiful things: Wisdom. Love. Life purpose. Priorities," she preiously told SurvivorNet. "I carry a very real sense that life is short, and I'm grateful to be living it! This has made me optimistic.

"Optimism doesn't mean that fear, pain and division don't exist they do. Our world is full of negativity, judgment, and hate. Optimism means that I believe there's always good to be found despite the bad, and this is what my life is centered around."

She moves through life with a sense of purpose unique to someone who's been faced with the darkest of times. Happily in remission today, she's determined to, one day, leave the world better than she found it.

"We can choose to stay positive, treat others with respect and look for the light in spite of the darkness," she said. "This type of attitude and behavior will lead to the kind of legacies I believe all of us hope to leave."

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