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Patient Stories

Our best measure of success is the health of our patients. On this page, you'll find stories of inspiration and hope from some of our cancer survivors.

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Patient Story

Sarcoma Survivor Rocks Life After Amputation

It was July 22, 2006, and Blackpool Lights, the Kansas City indie rock band, was about to take the stage at the Udo Music Festival in Izumi-Ootsu, Japan. The festival was a 2-day extravaganza featuring bands such as KISS, Alice in Chains and The Pret...

Patient Story

Chondrosarcoma Diagnosis Doesn't Stop Strongman

Zac Craig trains hard every day and competes in Strongman events. He’s also an athletic trainer/strength and conditioning coach and teacher at Lansing High School, where he was the 2016 Teacher of the Year. He’s even served as a strength and conditio...

Patient Story

Gary Lezak Weathers a Soft Tissue Sarcoma Diagnosis

In July 1999, Gary Lezak, chief meteorologist of KSHB 41 Action News, broke his wrist in an in-line skating accident. While at the hospital, Gary asked doctors to check out a lump just above his left elbow he had noticed earlier in the year. Howard R...

Patient Story

Osteosarcoma Survivor Is 180 Degrees from Ordinary

Wyatt Oshel is a fun-loving, big-hearted 6-year-old who never stops smiling. When strangers ask about his backwards foot, he states the facts: “I had cancer in my knee. So, they took part of my leg off and put my ankle where my knee was and put it on...

Patient Story

Strong Will Helps Soft Tissue Sarcoma Survivor

During 2010, Maria Reyes of Wichita, Kansas, was unusually tired and experiencing pain while walking and sitting. She also felt a lump in her abdomen. She thought she was just overdoing it. But when the lump continued to grow, Maria went to her docto...

Patient Story

3D-Printed Titanium Pelvis Gets Sarcoma Patient Back on His Feet

Curt Melin was a serious soccer dad. With 5 kids ranging in age from 21 to 5, he loved to share the soccer pitch, whether practicing, coaching their teams or cheering from the sidelines. For Curt, sports – soccer, basketball, baseball and softball –...

Patient Story

Ewing Sarcoma Patient Receives Bionic Bone

On July 27, 2017, 10-year-old Alexander Goodwin and his parents, Jeff and Maria, joined Vivian Jennings and her staff from Rainy Day Books at Unity Temple on The Plaza to celebrate the release of "Alexander's Journey: Dum Spiro Spero" (the 3 words ar...

Patient Story

Osteosarcoma Proves No Match for Teenage Warrior

Warrior. You don’t often hear this word used to describe a typical 13-year-old. But Ajiah Robinson is anything but typical. Like most teenagers, Ajiah enjoys spending time with her friends, but she also has a uniquely generous heart – going so far as...

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