Name: Deidra
Diagnosis: osteosarcoma
Home state: Kentucky
Deidra was an active 13-year-old girl growing up in Kentucky. But after basketball season in 1991, she was unable to walk. After extensive testing, doctors told Deidra they were 99 percent sure she had cancer and referred her St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Upon arriving at St. Jude, she underwent two biopsies. Tests revealed Deidra had osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer.
Deidra began chemotherapy treatments immediately. She underwent several surgeries to help rid her body of the cancer, and a metal rod was inserted in her leg to replace part of the bone that had to be removed.
Deidra experienced many complications with the rod in her leg, but she never lost her spirit because of the encouragement from the St. Jude staff. “From the time I first walked in, I was right at ease,” said Deidra. “My doctors were wonderful and we were like one big happy family.”
In 2002, Deidra acquired a staph infection and spent two years fighting the infection. She had several surgeries and took countless antibiotics, but the infection was persistent. In 2005, Deidra’s leg was amputated above the knee. Such drastic measures needed to be taken to ensure that the cancer would not return.
Now 27 years old, Deidra returns to the hospital once a year for tests and checkups. Doctors once told her she may never be able to have children, but she beat the odds. She is now the proud mother of three little girls. “To be a mother is a blessing,” said Deidra.
