Post by Cory C on Jun 22, 2009 4:58:43 GMT -6
Hello, my name is Cory. I'm a very private person, i like to keep to myself. I was searching around the web, to learn exactly what a tumor is, and how it is formed. One link led to another, and I found this website. I was glad i did, because although being a private person, i wanted to talk to others that has had the same experiences I have had. In other words, someone who knows what I went through. So here is my story. When I was 16, a few weeks before schooled started in early augest of 2008, i was having pains in my back. School started in mid augest, and by then the pain in my back had gotten worse. I never did much over the summer so I knew something wasn't right. A few weeks into my 11th grade year of high school it was nearly september and my birthday was growing close, and the pain was still geting worse and worse. I told my mom that I needed to see my family docter. She made me an apointment, and all he did was x-ray me, looked at them and released me. A week or so after that, the pain had gotten so bad I couldnt even lie down, and i couldnt sleep because of that. Lieing on my side sometimes helped but the pain usualy came back soon and I usualy found myself haveing to sleep in my chair. I payed my docter another visit and he gave me a urine and blood test. The tests showed nothing was abnormal. He thought that all the pain was in my head as if i were imagining it all. A few days later i made another visit. He still believed it was all in my head, but perscribed me some pain medication so that i could lie down and sleep. They worked wonders untill one friday in mid spetember i was talking to a friend after school, and my legs gave out. My mom was gone for that weekend to see her sister in a different state. A firend of mine was staying with me that weekend. Lucky me as to MY legs gave out yet again in my living room. I called my mom and told her that i needed to see the docter again as soon as she got back because my legs kept giveing out, and i could barley walk. At around this time, it was september 20th, my birthday, and i just turned 17. My mom took me back to the docter, and i wheeled in his office in a wheelchair. At that time he knew something was deffinatly wrong and it wasnt just in my head. He sceduled a MRI to done as soon as the near by hospital could get me in. I got the MRI done, and within 10 minutes, my family docter had called my mom on her cell phone, and said they needed us to come in imediatly. When we got there, they wheeled me into his office. I had never been in his acuall office before, and at that time, i knew something was very wrong. This is where my life changed. He told us I had a Tumor on my spine. He called a neurosurgeon that was 60 miles away to get me an apoinment that day to see him. Luckely we got the apointment, and we were off to the spine institute. There wasnt much he could do, because my "are kids first" wasnt covered there. The option was to goto Little Rock Arkansas, or to St. Jude children's Research Hospital in Memphis Tennesse. So the same day we packed up, left home and drove 200 miles to Memphis. I was sent to Le le Bonheur Spine Institute. I checked in and a couple days later, I had my surgeory to remove the tumor on my spine that i believe they said was between my T6 and T9 vertebre and wraped around my ribs. I had to get a bone grapgh from my hip to reconstruct my spine. And i permanatly have 2 rods, and 12 screws going down my spine.
IN THE END
I have been doing alot better since then. Though I must attend St. Jude's every 3 months for test to make sure my Tumor isn't showing signs of coming back, or that it hasn't already.I will never forget the pain physically and the emotional pain, that I myself, MY friends and my family had to endure. To this day I am walking again thanks to 12 sessions of physical theropy to re-learn to walk. I have all the feeling in my legs again, and much of my stength back, but I cant run or jump anymore. And i still have those rods and screws and the scars that will never let me forget that life is only a short distance away from being taken from you, at any time.
Cory - Age 17
IN THE END
I have been doing alot better since then. Though I must attend St. Jude's every 3 months for test to make sure my Tumor isn't showing signs of coming back, or that it hasn't already.I will never forget the pain physically and the emotional pain, that I myself, MY friends and my family had to endure. To this day I am walking again thanks to 12 sessions of physical theropy to re-learn to walk. I have all the feeling in my legs again, and much of my stength back, but I cant run or jump anymore. And i still have those rods and screws and the scars that will never let me forget that life is only a short distance away from being taken from you, at any time.
Cory - Age 17
