Giant Cell Tumor (Yes it's a real thing!)

Several years ago I was diagnosed with a Giant Cell Tumor (GCT) of the 6^th thoracic vertebrate. Normally these days when you are diagnosed with an illness, you can get online, find all sorts of information and support groups. There was nothing available for me. Giant Cell Tumors are very rare and the location of mine made it even rarer and as I would later find, deadlier. For the first few years it felt like it was me against the world. I had support from my husband and family, but with little information available, there was only so much that they could do. 

                In the past couple of years there has been more research into this illness. A treatment was discovered while working on a new osteoporosis drug. Due to the increase in social media people who have been diagnosed with Giant Cell Tumor have been able to come together to share their experiences and give each other advice.  This is extremely helpful since most doctors have never even heard of this illness, let alone know how to treat it. There have been several years of drug trials and now there is an FDA approved medication for non-resectable GCT. There is even hope that it may be useful as a preventative treatment. 

                When I was first diagnosed there was no one that I could talk to about my illness, no one who understood what I was going thru; there were no treatments other than surgery. Today that is different. Today we have a way to communicate with each other and that allows for more hope when this illness takes more than we are prepared to give. 

                This blog is intended to be a collection of stories from survivors. I will be telling my stories, and I hope to have several other contributors as well. I want others who suffer from GCT to know that they are not alone and that no matter how bad things get, there is hope.I don't want anyone who recieves this diagnosis to ever feel that they are alone.