Edward Dieser

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On September 15, 2021, I received the phone call from my 19-year-old that no parent ever wants to receive and it went like this: “Hey Ma, well we got the results of my MRI and they found a mass. They wanted to do a biopsy today but I needed to get back to school, so I’m scheduled for tomorrow morning. I also have an appointment on Friday with an orthopedic oncology surgeon”… drop the mike! What the??….  So as we are trying to celebrate Adèlé’s 18th birthday, we are also learning that Edward has osteosarcoma.  Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer and Edward’s appears to have originated in his right femur and then grew out into the soft tissue.  It is a rare bone cancer that affect about 1000 patients in the US each year. The prognosis is good and if we know anything about Edward, he has a can-do attitude. 

As some of you may know, Edward started to significantly limp on his right leg after a game of softball in P.E. during his senior year where he sustained an injury.  After an x-ray revealed no break, several months of physical therapy provided no relief and blood work came back normal, our last resort was an MRI.  Because we were expecting a torn muscle or ligament, Edward went alone. There was no way we could have predicted this outcome, and frankly, the statistics were in our favor.  However, statistics often only provide relief if they are in our favor! If you fall into that 1-2%, then they provide little comfort.

After many doctors’ appointments and much research, Edward will begin chemotherapy on 11 October 2021.  He is scheduled to have 15 rounds of chemo over a 35-week period.  After all of his chemo, he will have surgery to remove the part of his femur where the cancer has taken up residence and he will also have a hip replacement.  The portion of his femur to be removed will be replaced by a rod, cadaver or prosthetic of some sort.  After surgery, healing and physical therapy should begin.  This will also be the time when his beautiful hair will grow back! Given the fact that I have shaved that poor kid’s head several times to his dismay, I’m allowing one of his friends the honor this time!

We cannot thank everyone enough for all the good vibes, prayers and outpouring of love!  We are truly blessed! We are very positive about the outcome of this journey, and we also know that it will be a challenging journey… but when has anyone known a McKean Dieser not to face and conquer a good challenge!  We’ve got this, and with all the love and support, we’ve more than got this!  #fightlikeaMcKeanDieser!