When Sara began the 2024-25 school year, she was like any other ninth-grader pursuing her interests — from trying out for lacrosse to learning to ice skate. 

“She was living the lifestyle of the fun and famous,” her father said. “And the next thing you know, we come to find out she had three liters of fluid in her chest.”

“Four doctor visits later, still no answers”

Sara was eventually diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare and often aggressive form of bone cancer. But the road to reaching that diagnosis was long and winding.

“She started having pain in her ribs and trouble breathing,” her dad explained. “At first, they said it was a pulled muscle, then maybe asthma. Four doctor visits later, still no answers. Finally, she had a fever and her mom took her to urgent care. That’s when things started moving.”

The CT scan that followed changed everything, he added:

“They called me and said, ‘You need to get to Brenner’s immediately.’ The communication between hospitals was a mess. They actually asked me to drive across town to get the scans in person so the doctors could see them faster.”

Medical staff “had already mentioned the C-word to her and her mom,” and a biopsy provided additional information. A tumor had surrounded Sara’s fifth rib — and at 7.2 centimeters, it was well beyond the five-centimeter threshold for what doctors consider large.

“It had actually shattered her rib,” her father noted. “They don’t know why, but it just burst. That’s where all the pain came from.”

During the months that followed, Sara endured more tests and intensive rounds of chemotherapy. Five different types of chemo took their toll on the teen’s body, resulting in hair loss, neuropathy in her hands, and other side effects.

“The chemo isn’t like what you think of with outpatient treatments,” Sara’s dad continued. “It’s inpatient, around the clock. Some weeks it’s five straight days, then she’s off a week, then two more days. And oddly, she feels worse after the two-day [treatment]; that one’s got three types of chemo.”

“She’s been a trooper”

Sara underwent surgery earlier this year to remove the tumor and a portion of her fifth rib. Doctors also identified and removed a cancerous nodule on her lung. 

Current rounds of “consolidation” chemo are intended to target any remaining cancer and will continue throughout the summer, but could end by September if effective. 

“She’s been a trooper,” her dad said, noting the frustration and lost time due to misdiagnosis:

“Nobody wants to say cancer, and I get that. But looking back, you think, ‘What if we caught this earlier?’”

While Sara’s medical journey has been arduous for her and her family, a bright spot in it all has come from the outpouring of support from the community. Trex Cinema, for example, offered her a VIP experience one Monday, a day it is typically closed to the public. 

“They let her pick the movie,” her dad said. “They made popcorn and gave her posters, even one for a movie that hadn’t come out yet. They told us any time she wants to see a movie, the place is hers.”

An upcoming 5K race organized by a local family will support Sara and her father said that their family’s church has “really stepped up” during the ordeal.

While her cancer battle is the priority right now, the rising 10th grader is hopeful that she will get back to her extracurricular interests — including the newspaper club she founded at her school — soon. 

“That’s a huge blessing”

“She’s an introvert, like me,” her father explained. “So for her to go out of her comfort zone and start something like that, it was really big. She got a teacher to sponsor it; [it] had 10 or 15 students. She’s into journalism; loves to write. She’s already thinking about careers.”

A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help cover the costs of treatment, travel, time off from work, and other related expenses.

Click here to follow Sara’s journey or donate to the fundraiser.

Local businesses, groups, or individuals interested in offering any other form of support to Sara and her family may do so through Scope News via email at editor@scopenewsonline.com.

Despite it all, Sara’s father makes it clear he knows they’re more fortunate than some.

“We live 10 minutes from the hospital,” he said. “Some people are driving hours, staying in hotels. We’ve been able to keep working, and she’s stayed relatively healthy through it all — no emergency ER visits. That’s a huge blessing.”

Sara’s dad concluded with yet another blessing: Recent scans showed signs that the chemo is working.

In the end, he said, she wants to share her story in hopes of raising awareness about childhood cancer, early detection, and the importance of community support.

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