Five year-old Elizabeth began complaining about an ache in her arm. Soon the pain would wake her up at night and her parents knew she needed to see a physician. After an exam by her pediatrician, she was sent for an x-ray at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. A lesion was found on her upper right humerus.
After a consult with an oncologist, an MRI was performed and later a biopsy of Elizabeth’s arm. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a form of bone cancer. Within a few days, she started chemotherapy. At the beginning of the week, Elizabeth was a healthy little girl. By the end of the week, she was a patient diagnosed with aggressive cancer that needed immediate treatment.
Elizabeth got used to the chemo, but nothing could take away the excruciating pain she felt in her arm. Dr. Mayerson broke the tough news that this type of cancer kills bone. Elizabeth would either need to have her arm amputated or she could undergo a transplant of a human allograft bone to give her a chance of keeping her arm and maintaining good mobility. While uncommon to find a bone of the right size for someone as small as Elizabeth, through the efforts of Gift of Hope, AlloSource and the entire tissue donation community, a suitable donor was found.
The surgery was a success and Elizabeth’s pain stopped almost immediately after the procedure. Later, Elizabeth’s family learned a five-year-old girl had lost her life and it was her bone used to repair Elizabeth’s arm. The little girl's grandmother sent a letter to Elizabeth and told her that the little girl liked to wear skirts, play with Polly Pockets and loved to draw.
The most amazing thing is that Elizabeth’s ability to draw and paint has improved dramatically after receiving her new bone – even to the point that her teacher at school has made comments about it. Elizabeth’s family likes to think a little part of the donor is coming through in their daughter.
