Chase Benjamin's journey

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June 2008 Chase (age 11yrs) woke up with a lump on his lower leg.  It was very painful.  After 2 months of doctors appointments and testing we were told that Chase had Ewings Sarcoma.  1 year of chemo and 30 days (in a row) of radiation.  The tumor shrunk and the chemo appeared to work. Before treatment started, Chase was advised that amputation was a possibility.  He was furious and denied the amputation.  Jump ahead to April 2014......Chase had more pain in his right leg but this time it was above and behind his knee.   More testing and the results were Radiation Induced Osteosarcoma!  The treatment that killed his cancer in 2008 caused a new cancer in 2014.  Chase had surgery to remove the tumor at the bottom of the femur.  He received a new knee and a titanium rod in his femur.  Another year of chemo.  2015 they found spots on his lungs!  He had surgery to remove the spots.  More chemo, this time the chemo was all oral and Chase would gag everytime he tried to drink it.  After 3 cycles of chemo and a 2nd and 3rd opinion from other doctors Chase chose to stop chemo (this was Oct 2015).  November 2015 we celebrated Thanksgiving at Lake Tahoe.  Chase had extreme pain on the left side of his lungs.  December 2015, more tests, bone scans etc....a tumor showed up in his left lung.  Surgery was done to remove the tumor, the bone scan showed 1 tumor but the surgeon found 2 fist size tumors in his left lung.  One was removed and one was entwined in his vital organs.  His surgeon told us there will be no more surgeries.  His oncologist told us Chase would not win this battle.  February 2016, Chase turned 19yrs old.......he ended up in the hospital in PICU. We were able to bring him home (his request) on March 2, 2016.  His battle ended on March 6, 2016.  There is not a minute that goes by that I am not missing him, wondering if the amputation would have had different results.  Through all the doctors appointments, Chase always had the final say.  He was so much wiser than his years.  Missing Chase every minute of every day!