Thousand Raised In Plantation Walk For Sarcoma
MIAMI (CBS4) - Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects a few thousand children annually and some adults was met with resistance Sunday during a walk to raise money and awareness about this deadly disease.
The 5-K run-walk at Central Park in Plantation raised thousands of dollars, an encouraging development for 15-year-old Leighanie Diaz, who has been fighting the disease for almost a year.
She's bravely been going through chemotherapy, but says losing her beautiful long, black hair has been especially tough.
She said she is grateful, however, that so many people took the time to come out to the event. They all had their own special reasons for doing it.
"Because it's so rare, we need people to know what it is and to come out and support the cause, raise money, raise awareness so we can beat this in our time."
Diaz's sister said "It was very important for me because I love my sister and I would do anything for her."
Just last Monday Diaz was getting chemotherapy while most of her friends were at school. She said finding out she had cancer was a shock.
"It was definitely scary, weird, because you don't think you'll have cancer," she said. "It doesn't happen."
Sarcoma isn't a well-known condition. In fact, Leighanie's mother Anna didn't know what it was.
"I heard the word, but I really didn't know what it was," Anna said.
Leighanie and her mother learned about it when she was diagnosed in February – four months after her pediatrician called the cancer a simple cyst.
But her condition turned out to be far more serious.
Pediatric oncologist at the Sylvester Cancer Center at UM Dr. John Goldberg
says sarcoma affects a couple thousand children a year.
"Sarcoma is cancer of the connective tissues, which means any part of your body that connects one part to the other can get cancer," Goldberg said. "It's different from things like breast cancer where we all know where breast cancer arises."
The treatment requires radiation and chemotherapy, and it certainly takes a toll on its patients like Leighanie.
In addition to nausea and pain, toxins built up in Leighanie's leg, which have made it difficult to walk. Physically, she has changed dramatically in just a year.
CBS4 showed her a picture of her taken a year ago and she noted the difference.
"It was a lot, very different. The hardest part for me with the diagnosis, it sounds pretty ridiculous, but the hair was a really big deal being a 15-year-old girl," she said.
Dr. Goldberg is now hoping to change everything for sarcoma patients. In six to twelve months he plans to roll out a clinical trial for a vaccine to beat the disease.
"We are going to have the chance to do new treatments ourselves based on science that's done right here in South Florida," Goldberg said.
Leighanie hopefully won't have to wait that long, though. She expects to be done with the chemo and the cancer by February.
"Definitely looking forward to that, but I feel the weeks flying by faster. And I'm excited." Leighanie said.
