In August, my best friend, Alyssa, went to the doctor for knee pain, thinking it was a soft-tissue or structural injury. This was the start of an intense, life-altering, scary journey. After several doctors, imaging, and tests, she was diagnosed with Parosteal Osteosarcoma and needed immediate surgery to remove the orange-sized tumor behind her knee. The tumor was causing her femur to thin, and for fear of snapping, her mobility was impacted. She continued to work as much as possible, in a role in which she had recently been promoted. She went into surgery (a full knee replacement, metal replacement of a portion of her femur, and tumor removal) expecting recovery to include a stint of non-weight bearing, PT, and a challenging acceptance of forever losing mobility and the dreams of physical activities she once held.

After surgery, her oncology team met and, while the tumor was fully removed, the pathology results determined this form of rare and aggressive cancer requires several rounds of intense chemotherapy. Over the last several weeks, Alyssa has been hospitalized on and off, received two doses of chemotherapy, and has several hospitalizations ahead of her. I've watched her navigate road-block after road-block with doctors, insurance, medications, test results, etc. She has handled each hurdle with grace, an unwavering dedication to life, and with a soft kindness deserving of admiration. Alyssa is a beautiful human, inside and out. She is a loving and supportive mom to her teen son, DJ, sister, daughter, aunt, partner, and friend. I stand in awe of her, everyday, and hope her community will surround her with warmth, support, love, and encouragement. She has exhausted options, and given much energy to continuing to work as much as possible, yet she needs our financial support.