My name is Caroline Nelson Derifaj and I am John's youngest  sister. Please join me and my family in the fight against sarcoma by supporting our efforts to raise funds for my big brother, John, and the Duke Sarcoma Center through the Strike Out For Sarcoma 5K taking place two weeks from now on Sunday, September 14 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC. 

Raising $2,000 in 2 weeks is an aggressive goal, but so is this rare cancer, and so is our determination to show our support for John. There is a lot we can do together even with limited time!

John was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoma in January 2024. What he thought was a pinched nerve turned out to be an aggressive form of cancer called sarcoma. 

Throughout his life, John has defied expectations. He was born severely pigeon-toed. Our parents were told by doctors he would be lucky to be able to run, period. After surgery on both feet and relearning to walk again, John was struck by the running bug after admiring Olympic gold medal decathlete, Bruce Jenner (formerly), on the front of the big, orange Wheaties box on our kitchen table day after day. John decided a runner, in fact, he would be! In just a few short years of training on the Blue Ridge parkway, he became not just any runner, but a star runner, memorably setting a course record for his age group at the Virginia 10 Miler at just 12 years of age. 

John defied expectations then, and he continues to do so every single day- not just because of the cancer, but because that is who he is. Up until shortly after his diagnosis, John continued to run, bike and hike all around the world- Florida, New York, North Carolina, Colorado, New England, UK, Moscow and Sophia, Bulgaria to name a few.

Currently, John is hoping to make a move from London where he has been treated for sarcoma back to our hometown, Roanoke, VA in the next few weeks. The sarcoma group in London at the Royal Marsden has done their very best treating  and caring for John this past year, as has his family. This past year, John also consulted with Dr. Riedel at the Duke Sarcoma Center and very much appreciated Dr. Riedel's guidance and expertise.

When I asked John if it would be okay for me and my family to run this race in his honor, he said, “Of course. Raising money is the only way to beat this cancer that so many people know so little about. They need more money for research, but they don’t have it because it is so rare and relatively unknown.” 

Running has always given John the best of life and so it will again in 2 weeks. If you’re local, please consider joining us on Sunday, September 24 in Cary. And if you’re not or you can't make it to the race, please consider making any donation to help us defy expectations and reach our goal of raising $2,000 in 2 weeks so we can Strike Out for Sarcoma for good- for John, who will be cheering us on...every step along the way.

So many people have asked what they can do to help John this past year. We can’t think of a better way than to support Team Nelson and help the Duke Sarcoma Center do what they do best. 

GO TEAM NELSON…let’s do this!!! The race is ON!!!

And, if you would like to learn more about sarcoma, please read a statement from the Duke Sarcoma Center below:

Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer, but it is not rare at Duke. Duke treats more than 2000 people actively living with sarcoma. All patients are presented at both a radiology tumor board and a sarcoma pathology tumor board, where management decisions are made through a consensus involving surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists.

Treatment usually involves multimodal adjuvant therapies along with surgery, making the treatment course feel more like a roller coaster than a straight path. Patients and their families need to trust and feel supported by their healthcare team. For that reason, the Duke team includes nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, prosthetists, palliative care providers, family medical therapists, and recreational therapists, among others, all with extensive experience in caring for patients and families with sarcoma.

I’m supporting Duke because they take a comprehensive approach to patient care, recognizing that caring for patients is not just about treating the disease; it is also about addressing the underlying causes and supporting their overall well-being. 

Because this type of cancer is rare, being treated at a specialized sarcoma center, such as Duke, is crucial and has been shown to improve patient outcomes and survival.