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Ethan is an intelligent, funny, outgoing 15-year-old who loves acting, Korean barbecue, and his corgi named Gatsby. As he was getting ready to begin the next chapter and the giddiness of starting high school, Ethan started to notice a sharp pain in his knee, and his life changed forever.
Despite trying to keep a positive attitude, he felt this was much more serious. "For about 5 months until my diagnosis, I noticed a lot of knee and femur pain when I walked or used stairs…My parents and I dismissed it as growing pains, but it went on for months and got worse with time, and that's when we made an appointment to see the orthopedic doctor's office. They did an X-ray, and we got the news the very next morning at 9 am. None of us will forget that day. It's ingrained in us forever," Ethan recalled that day.
Annie, Ethan’s mom, pulled her son out of school and tearfully explained to Ethan what the doctors had found in the X-ray. "We sat on the bench outside of my school, and in between her sobbing, she told me that I had Osteosarcoma…the first thing I asked was, 'Am I going to die?'" Ethan recalled the moment, stating, "The fear was immediate. My first question was, 'Am I going to die?'" He was just a freshman in high school when he received his diagnosis. From there, it was all a blur. Ethan and his mother abruptly left the school and began working with the doctors at Inova Schar Cancer Institute to develop a treatment plan. Ethan received his chemotherapy port as soon as school let out for the summer.
The shift was jarring, a complete upheaval of his teenage life. "I had never experienced such a change,” Ethan recalled, “from being such a happy kid focusing on school to then being on four different chemo infusions, and all the while, 12 liters of water is being pumped inside me a day. I lost all of my hair within the first two weeks of chemo and had to attend classes virtually. Everything happened so fast. My entire life changed after that phone call." But the fight wasn’t over.
After enduring the grueling chemotherapy, Ethan faced another significant challenge: surgery, and the subsequent journey to regain his mobility. "In August of that same year, I got surgery to excise my femur where the cancer was and replace it with a titanium implant that will lengthen as I grow. How cool is that?" Ethan was amazed by how advanced medical procedures had gotten.
However, the marvel of modern medicine didn't erase the immense physical effort required for recovery. The titanium implant was a technological wonder, but learning to use it was a different story entirely. But learning to walk was no easy task for a growing teenager. Ethan shared that the process was “one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I had to cope with quite literally everything. It was hard to learn to walk from scratch literally, but with enough physical therapy and support from my orthopedic surgeon, I was able to take my first tall steps. First very slowly with a walker, then steadily with crutches and now, by the grace of God, I can almost run.”
Throughout Ethan’s journey, ASK has provided consistent support and a strong community for him and his family. Like many families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis, they encountered significant financial challenges. Ethan's parents prioritized his medical needs, leading to a substantial financial burden. ASK helped them navigate available resources and alleviated some of that strain.
"It really pulled us through the dark clouds and gave us hope. It gave us a real sense of community and gave us hope in humanity in a world where that is sometimes hard to remember. It brought us closer together as a family unit. It made us really remember to be in the moment and that life can be fleeting. With or without cancer."
- Annie ASK Kid Ethan's Mom
Ethan successfully returned to school mid-sophomore year, resuming his life alongside his peers. While regular check-ups continue, he's overcome the most significant hurdles and is embracing every opportunity with gratitude. He and his family have found comfort in making lifelong friends with the doctors, nurses, and staff on the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology floor at Inova and, of course, ASK. Now off all treatment except physical therapy to further strengthen his leg, Ethan is channeling his energy into his passion for theater.
When asked about what he wants people to know about childhood cancer and being a survivor, Ethan closed out with, "I think it's really important that everyone knows that there is a light to the end of the tunnel. Push and keep fighting the battle until it's over; even then, don't stop. Live life to the fullest."