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The year was 1990, and Jocelyne Stager was an 8-year-old healthy child who had no concerns other than avoiding going to bed early, and trying to maximize her playtime as much as possible. Jocelyne lived in an urban industrialized, multicultural city in Cambridge, Ontario and had lived there her entire life. Most individuals in Cambridge are of the middle-class level, and the education level is diverse. She attended a private Christian school, and was near the top of her class for academic achievement. Jocelyne’s parents worked very hard to provide all they could to her and her younger sister, Lee-Anne.

One unsuspecting day, Jocelyne fell off of her bicycle, while racing a friend, and fractured her left humerus. Her parents immediately took her to the local hospital, (Cambridge Memorial Hospital), and an X-ray confirmed their fears. A sling was placed on the left arm to ensure that movement would be limited, and healing would take place in approximately six weeks. Jocelyne left the hospital promising her doctor she would be careful with her injured limb.

However, Jocelyne’s arm continued to ache profusely, and began to swell at an alarming rate. Jocelyne’s mom, being a registered nurse, grew concerned with the appearance of her arm, and brought her back into the hospital. The doctor agreed that the swelling of the arm was unusual and ordered more X-rays. A cyst was found in the humerus, but the doctor was indecisive in concluding whether or not the cyst was responsible for the unexplained swelling. He claimed that cysts are a common growth that can appear on bones in children. Weeks later the swelling persisted, and a biopsy was booked by Dr. Stapleton. Unfortunately, the doctor could not control the bleeding during the surgery and, had no choice but to close the incision.

Jocelyne woke up from the biopsy and discovered herself in an ambulance on her way to The Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto. She was admitted and booked for another biopsy a few days later. The gifted orthopaedic surgeon who performed the second biopsy was Dr. Ivan Krajbich. Dr. Krajbich approached Jocelyne’s parents who were waiting for the results and told them the biopsy was successful. However a tumour was found called Ewings Sarcoma. He suggested that chemotherapy treatments should be introduced immediately, and once the tumour had decreased, he would surgically remove the rest. Dr. Krajbich informed Jocelyne’s parents that this particular type of cancer was extremely rare (approximately 1 in 500 000 to 1 000 000), and that he was not sure what could have caused it. He suggested that possibly pollution may be the cause, or even that genetics could play a possible role. However there was no previous bone cancer on either side of the families.

The chemotherapy and surgery was to be done at Sick Kids, because The Cambridge Memorial Hospital just did not have the resources to treat paediatric oncology. Although it would have been nice if Jocelyne could have remained in her hometown for her treatment, it was just not possible. The reason that Cambridge could not offer cancer care to children was because there was such a low demand and not enough funds; Toronto and Hamilton offer this particular type of care, and they are relatively close to Cambridge. Being so young, Jocelyne was confused and unsure of what cancer actually was. However, she trusted her parents and her new favourite doctor to make the best decisions for her. Soon after, chemo treatments began, alternating a heavier dose versus a lighter dose every three weeks. Jocelyne grew extremely weak, and suffered from febrileneutropenia, which is a lack of white cells. Day by day, her hair began to fall out and her weight began to drop dramatically.

Jocelyne spent numerous weeks in the hospital, and encountered many roommates along the way. People from all over the world came to The Hospital for Sick Children, because Canada offers such excellent healthcare. One of her roommates was a petite girl named Trae, and she came to Sick Kids all the way from Vietnam. She could not speak any English, however Jocelyne and her still managed to form a unique bond. One that consisted of smiles and reassurance that they were both going to come out of this okay. Jocelyne’s mom was speaking with one of the nurses one day about Trae’s situation, and discovered that Sick Kids had flown Trae and her family to Canada and was providing all her care for free; as she was unable to afford it in her own country. The Hospital for Sick Children is able to provide occasional charity cases like Trae’s due to donations.

Jocelyne’s parents began to realize how fortunate they were to live in a country that provides health care to all, and not just to who can afford it. The estimated cost for Jocelyne’s chemotherapy treatments alone was tens of thousands of dollars, with still many more procedures ahead of them. Her parents began to appreciate Canada’s health care system in a way like never before, because if they had had to pay out of their own pockets, they would have lost everything.

After several more months, the tumour finally began to shrink and, reconstructive surgery was booked. Jocelyne was terrified of having yet another operation, but Dr. Krajbich assured her that he would look after her. Jocelyne never let them put her to sleep, until Dr. Krajbich was in the room because he made her feel safe in such an uncomfortable environment. Her surgery lasted 11 hours, and consisted of the removal of her humerus, along with several major muscles and a bone graft. A donor humerus was put in place of hers, and metal plates were put in to offer protection. Jocelyne woke up in the recovery room with a pink body cast on from her waist up. Dr. Krajbich came by and told her she handled it like a pro. She was relived that it was over and concentrated on her upcoming physiotherapy.

The cast had to remain on for six weeks and it was not a pleasant experience. During the last couple weeks, the cast became itchy, hot and heavy. To lift Jocelyne’s spirits though, a phone call from the Terry Fox Run of Cambridge called and asked her if she wanted to lead the walk that year, which was scheduled for the following week. Her parents politely declined the request, thinking that Jocelyne could not physically handle the walk, just a few short weeks after surgery and with the weight of her cast. However, Jocelyne insisted that she could handle the walk, and told her parents she would do it. The walk was difficult for her and, she was one of the last people to arrive back, but she did it, and was extremely proud of herself.

Shortly after the walk, Jocelyne and her parents made the short trip back to Toronto to finally have the cast removed. She was excited and nervous to get rid of the annoying hunk of fibreglass once and for all. Dr. Krajbich and an assistant took out the loud saw and insisted to Jocelyne that this procedure would not hurt her one bit, as she expressed some concern at the sound and sight of the saw. Once removed, Dr. Krajbich was happy with the results of the surgery, and told Jocelyne she could begin her physiotherapy.

Due to the positioning of the cast, Jocelyne’s elbow joint was immobilized at a 90-degree angle. The after-care of physiotherapy was critical in establishing a normal range of motion once again in this joint. Jocelyne soon discovered that she had a very limited range of motion in her shoulder joint. This was due to the major muscles that were removed in her back, shoulder and arm. She would never be able to raise her left arm above her shoulder, and several athletic activities would have to be avoided. Fortunately, Jocelyne handled this news optimistically and continued on with her follow up care.

Throughout this life changing and challenging experience, Jocelyne experienced a huge amount of social support. Her family never left her side. In fact her mother took a year off of work entirely just to be by her side everyday. Because her mother was off work, this meant that only one income was supporting the family. The community of Cambridge understood the financial difficulties that her parents encountered and offered help in any way they could. The school Jocelyne attended took care of her and her sister’s tuition that year. While other families offered free child-care, cooked or even just dropped off cards to let Jocelyne’s parents know that they were not alone. The church that they attended offered prayer and extended the prayer requests to British Columbia, Florida, Indiana, England, Ireland and Scotland. The Canadian Cancer Society also offered Jocelyne’s family transportation to and from Toronto to relieve some of the stress. And finally, one of the most important people that encouraged Jocelyne was Dr. Krajbich. Jocelyne and her surgeon created an incredible bond that was evident to all the nurses and other staff in the oncology clinic. He constantly encouraged her, and she continuously thanked him for saving her life and her arm.

Jocelyne continued to go for check-ups every six weeks in the beginning, and her doctors told her that her prognosis looked promising. Her check-ups eventually advanced to every six months and, finally to once a year. Jocelyne is currently 21-years-old and is attending the University of Western Ontario. She is entering her third year of Health Sciences and wants to use her childhood experience with cancer to help others.

I wrote this story for one of my health care classes this past year, that is why it is in the third person. In the picture I am the one on the right. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to motivate the boys biking across Canada! Tell them to keep up the awesome job!