Dear Friend,

Sydney, a high school athlete, went to her pediatrician after experiencing back pain. To rule out anything serious, an MRI was ordered and she was referred to CHOC Children's pediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Nader Nassif. While her back pain turned out to be nothing serious, Dr. Nassif noticed a small spot on her upper femur that turned out to be a cancerous tumor. At 15 years old, Sydney was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma.

Her treatment plan called for six rounds of chemotherapy under the care of CHOC Children's pediatric oncologist Dr. Elyssa Rubin, then surgery to remove the tumor and replace her upper right femur with a titanium bar, followed by eight more rounds of chemotherapy.

Sydney’s tumor responded quickly to the treatment and Dr. Nassif was able to remove 100 percent of the tumor and reconstruct her femur. She now has no evidence of disease. Though she won’t be able to play basketball any longer, Sydney looks forward to participating in non-contact, lower-impact activities such as paddleboarding, surfing, swimming and hiking.

"After finishing eight more rounds of chemotherapy after surgery, my scans confirmed that I was cancer free!"

You can help.

Your continued support helps kids and teens like Sydney get the life-saving care they need. Will you open your heart again to seriously ill children in Orange County and beyond during childhood cancer awareness month?