A Difficult Decision After Cancer Diagnosis
- Colorado teen Thomas Matson is a born survivor, and had to have a liver transplant by age 1.
- In high school, the avid runner, 19, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, and faced the difficult decision of having to have a portion of his right leg amputated. Then he found the perfect prosthetic and re-joined his cross-country team.
- There are two major types of synovial sarcoma: monophasic (spindle cells) and biphasic (spindle cells and epithelial cells). There is no clear pattern for who this disease targets, but it is typically found more in young adults, and usually in more men than women.
Synovial sarcoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the soft tissue, primarily in young adults.
Read More"My heart dropped. I was devastated. I didn't know what I was going to do. I thought I was going to die," TJ said.
He decided he wanted the cancer immediately gone, and have his right leg below the knee, taken off.
"I just didn't want to chance it,” Tj said. “I wanted to be able to run again.”
The brave young man had the surgery in August of 2018 and by November, he received his first prosthetic. It was heavy, but he could still run!
"I was bound and determined to get off the couch," TJ said. "The first week I got it, I was up and running and I was walking to town and stuff.”
Then he received a blade prosthetic from a nonprofit in Nashville called Amputee Blade Runners, and was able to get back on his school’s cross-country team.
"Whenever I put my leg on, it's like I have a leg again," TJ said of the incredible product. He Is now cancer-free and has to get checked twice a year for a decade or so.
Because of his courageous decision, TJ is now free of cancer but requires checkups every six months, at least for a decade. He is super grateful for his grandparents who raised him. His grandmother stopped working to take care of her grandson to make sure he was comfortable.
He thanks his grandparents who raised him, especially his grandma, who quit her job to take care of him.
"If you see this story, never give up,” TJ expressed to other people out there going through a challenging obstacle.
“You need to fight like hell."
A Rare Cancer
Most synovial sarcoma patients discover their tumor from a lump, and if you have "persistent, unprovoked pain in a soft tissue, such as the muscle of an extremity or from within your abdomen," according to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Austin, Texas. Synovial sarcoma can also occur in the lungs, so looking out for any shortness of breath is important.
There are two major types of synovial sarcoma: monophasic (spindle cells) and biphasic (spindle cells and epithelial cells). There is no clear pattern for who this disease targets, but it is typically found more in young adults, and usually in more men than women.
Related: New Hope for People with a Rare Type of Cancer Called Epithelioid Sarcoma
This type of cancer can be found by MRI, or in the lungs with an X-ray or CT scan, however a tissue sample must be obtained for an "official" diagnosis during a biopsy or surgery, which is the most effective treatment. Radiation and chemotherapy will usually be given following surgery, and unfortunately, this disease does tend to spread to other areas of the body; the lungs, brain, bone, and lymph nodes, in addition to local organs, are all potential risk sites.
It is also important to be aware that this type of sarcoma "can be inactive for a long time before it grows again to a size that can be detected by a scan," so continue to get follow-ups even if there is no evidence of disease for many years.
You Can Still Live Your Best Life After Cancer
There is no wrong way to live your life after cancer or a disability, as long as you are not hurting yourself, and in this case, there is nothing more inspiring than TJ throwing on some running shoes and getting up and motivated while other guys his age may be sitting on the couch playing video games.
We spoke with another synovial sarcoma survivor, Kara Ladd, a fashion editor who was 24 years old and just getting her life started in New York City when she was diagnosed with the disease. She told SurvivorNet that she was completely blindsided after the diagnosis, and it really forced her to take a step back and look at the life she was leading.
Survivor Kara Ladd Met a New Version of Herself After Her Synovial Sarcoma Diagnosis
"I was working too hard, I was stretched too much, I was partying too much," she told SurvivorNet. "My life was moving at such a fast pace and I didn't know how to stop."
When she was diagnosed with cancer, she was "forced to pause and figure out who I really was and what my purpose was."
Like many people in her situation, Kara's priorities shifted a lot after her diagnosis. A young woman who could not imagine herself without hair suddenly felt like a badass when she had to shave her head. "I see the world in an entirely different way now," Kara said.
Surviving cancer and/or another disability like Thomas and Kara may affect your exterior self, but it's how you push forward and show your inner spirit and fight that is truly the most attractive.
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