#Miles4Miracles
Lydia's Story
Lydia has battled and beat osteosarcoma — twice. At age 7, Lydia had a painful lump on her thigh bone that her doctors found difficult to diagnose. Desperate for answers, Stephen and Jessica Alwan, Lydia’s parents, began casting a net to doctors and experts throughout California. “We had to trust our instincts,” says Jessica. “We kept asking questions and kept speaking up for Lydia. No one else was going to. Lydia’s family found an amazing surgeon and care team, which meant leaving their first hospital for another institution to get specialized care. Sadly, the cancer came back in 2021, and Lydia had to fight again to beat Osteosarcoma. Multiple rounds of chemotherapy and two limb salvage surgeries later, Lydia is cancer free and thriving. Now in high school, age 14, she’s leading the way in raising funds to find better treatments for other kids with bone cancer so they can beat this terrible disease too. She's truly an inspiration and an amazing human being with the biggest heart. She needs our help to save more children with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer).
Lydia's Journey
Osteosarcoma Institute
What is Osteosarcoma? Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that originates in cells of the bone. The word “osteosarcoma” comes from the Greek words sarc, meaning fleshy substance, and oma, meaning growth. Osteo adds bone-like to the word sarcoma. It can occur anywhere along the skeleton, but the most common sites are in longer bones, for instance around the knee (distal femur and proximal tibia) and shoulder (proximal humerus).
Why is more research needed? There have been no improvements in survival of osteosarcoma patients for more than 30 years. Osteosarcoma is complex, and more research is needed. For a brief history of osteosarcoma treatment, click here. Areas of research include gene therapy, targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy.
Osteosarcoma is the most common childhood bone cancer.
No new treatments have been approved for osteosarcoma patients in 40 years.
1 in 3 children with osteosarcoma will not survive.
