It’s amazing what can change in a year. This time last year I was undergoing radiation, planning for a surgery I never expected, and trying to figure out what life would look like moving forward.  We signed up for the 2024 Strikeout for Sarcoma 5k and I set a goal to walk across the finish line without help of any kind. Pretty big goal knowing it was only about 5 weeks after surgery. 

Well, I completed the goal. I walked the majority of the 5k with a walker, but finished on my own. No help. No assistance. 

Now, here we are again signing up for the 5k with the goal of finishing the walk, but also with the goal of once again having the highest team participation and raising money for an incredible group of doctors, nurses, pathologists, scientists, researchers, patient care advocates, and other cancer care professionals. 

Let’s remind the Strikeout for Sarcoma team, and the wider Duke Sarcoma Center, that Sarcoma Sluggers show up in numbers, set goals for the race, and achieve them.  

I look forward to seeing you there!

A little background on Sarcoma and the Duke Sarcoma Center - 

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.

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.