JUDA - Kristen Bechtolt made a living striking out batters on the mound for the Panthers softball team.
Now she can't even wiggle her fingers inside her baseball glove before a big pitch. Bechtolt was diagnosed with an Osteogenic Osteosarcoma cancerous tumor in her left arm Dec. 17, 2008. Now the Juda softball team will host a "Strikeout Cancer" game against Black Hawk at 4:30 p.m. today as a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society.
Bechtolt, a 2007 Juda graduate who was playing softball at Madison Area Technical College, fell down at her home last year. About two weeks later on Dec. 17, 2008 she went to the doctor with what she thought was a pulled muscle.
An X-ray was inconclusive. Then came a MRI that revealed she had a tumor in her arm.
"It's shocking and something you never really expect," Bechtolt said. "I think it's great that people are willing to help and put in time and money. It's nice to know that people will help and care. It's a lot to go through."
She started chemotherapy at the UW Hospital in Madison in January. She has chemo treatments back-to-back days and sometimes has to go to Madison a third day to have her blood tested. Two more medications have been added to Bechtolt's treatment and will require her to go five days for chemo some weeks.
Bechtolt had surgery April 2 to remove 7.8 inches of cancerous bone. She had her arm reconstructed from the shoulder to just above the elbow.
"I just wanted to get it over with," she said of the surgery.
Bechtolt said the tumor is inside and outside the left humerus.
She recently found out that the cancerous bone in her arm is 88 percent dead. The 12 percent persistent living cancerous portion will extend her chemotherapy treatments to October.
According to the American Cancer Society and Mayo Clinic, osteogenic osteosarcoma most often occurs in people aged 10-30 years old, compared to just 10 percent of people in their sixties and seventies. Bone cancer occurs more often in males and usually effects the arms, legs and pelvis. In 90 percent of these cases, the limbs can be saved.
The causes of Osteosarcoma are unknown. Some debate whether radium or fluoride in drinking water can act as environmental triggers. Many patients are able to have limb salvage surgery, but complications like infection, prosthetic loosening, non-union and tumor recurrence can lead to the need for surgery or amputation.
Bechtolt will begin physical therapy in about a month to regain movement in her shoulder, wrist and finger areas. Adjusting to her new lifestyle, which includes juggling online classes and taking chemotherapy treatments, has been a challenge.
The treatments have sometimes left her sick and have zapped her strength.
"It's nothing like it was before," Bechtolt said. "A small trip to Wal-Mart is enough to wear you out for the whole day."
Bechtolt maintains a strong mentality with her fight with cancer. She knows the side effects of cancer and doesn't want anyone to go through that roller coaster alone.
"Just keep battling," Bechtolt said. "You will get through it. There are friends and family for support. There are a lot of people out there for you."
Kristen's mother, Cheryl Bechtolt has advice for other students.
"My advice to kids is to listen to your bodies," Cheryl said. "She probably had it for two years. She always ignores aches and pains."
Now she can't even wiggle her fingers inside her baseball glove before a big pitch. Bechtolt was diagnosed with an Osteogenic Osteosarcoma cancerous tumor in her left arm Dec. 17, 2008. Now the Juda softball team will host a "Strikeout Cancer" game against Black Hawk at 4:30 p.m. today as a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society.
Bechtolt, a 2007 Juda graduate who was playing softball at Madison Area Technical College, fell down at her home last year. About two weeks later on Dec. 17, 2008 she went to the doctor with what she thought was a pulled muscle.
An X-ray was inconclusive. Then came a MRI that revealed she had a tumor in her arm.
"It's shocking and something you never really expect," Bechtolt said. "I think it's great that people are willing to help and put in time and money. It's nice to know that people will help and care. It's a lot to go through."
She started chemotherapy at the UW Hospital in Madison in January. She has chemo treatments back-to-back days and sometimes has to go to Madison a third day to have her blood tested. Two more medications have been added to Bechtolt's treatment and will require her to go five days for chemo some weeks.
Bechtolt had surgery April 2 to remove 7.8 inches of cancerous bone. She had her arm reconstructed from the shoulder to just above the elbow.
"I just wanted to get it over with," she said of the surgery.
Bechtolt said the tumor is inside and outside the left humerus.
She recently found out that the cancerous bone in her arm is 88 percent dead. The 12 percent persistent living cancerous portion will extend her chemotherapy treatments to October.
According to the American Cancer Society and Mayo Clinic, osteogenic osteosarcoma most often occurs in people aged 10-30 years old, compared to just 10 percent of people in their sixties and seventies. Bone cancer occurs more often in males and usually effects the arms, legs and pelvis. In 90 percent of these cases, the limbs can be saved.
The causes of Osteosarcoma are unknown. Some debate whether radium or fluoride in drinking water can act as environmental triggers. Many patients are able to have limb salvage surgery, but complications like infection, prosthetic loosening, non-union and tumor recurrence can lead to the need for surgery or amputation.
Bechtolt will begin physical therapy in about a month to regain movement in her shoulder, wrist and finger areas. Adjusting to her new lifestyle, which includes juggling online classes and taking chemotherapy treatments, has been a challenge.
The treatments have sometimes left her sick and have zapped her strength.
"It's nothing like it was before," Bechtolt said. "A small trip to Wal-Mart is enough to wear you out for the whole day."
Bechtolt maintains a strong mentality with her fight with cancer. She knows the side effects of cancer and doesn't want anyone to go through that roller coaster alone.
"Just keep battling," Bechtolt said. "You will get through it. There are friends and family for support. There are a lot of people out there for you."
Kristen's mother, Cheryl Bechtolt has advice for other students.
"My advice to kids is to listen to your bodies," Cheryl said. "She probably had it for two years. She always ignores aches and pains."
