in the news...

Cancer Survivor Reaches Out To Young Patients
John Link Diagnosed With Bone Cancer At 17

POSTED: 12:10 pm EDT September 16, 2005 UPDATED: 12:53 pm EDT September 16, 2005

BOSTON -- When an illness strikes, there are people who decide to make the best of it. That's what John Link did. NewsCenter 5's Rhonda Mann reported that Link is helping other young people get through their tough diagnosis. "I had a past of getting injured a lot. I had broken all my fingers, I broke my wrist," Link said. As a child, Link's athletic endeavors scored him a few injuries. During his junior year in high school, his left leg became sore, making it hard to play ball. "I was like, 'Ahhh -- I can't stay off the injured list, here,'" he said. What doctors first thought was a stress injury was really an osteosarcoma -- a tumor on the bone near his left knee. Link was just 17. "(The doctor) came out and dropped the bomb on me," Link said. "With bone cancer, it kind of, like, spreads like wildfire if you don't catch it early enough and it can spread throughout your bones and even end up in your lungs." Link underwent three months of intensive inpatient chemotherapy, followed by a limb salvage surgery. Doctors removed the diseased part of his left femur bone and placed a nine-inch long titanium prosthesis. John then went through six more months of chemotherapy. "I was leaving from surgery and I had been there for a week. And I was, like, how much more can I take?," Link said. "And my mom picked me up out front and my mother and I just sat in my car. My mom said, 'Are you all right?' We finally got out of there. And I just remember, like, letting go -- I felt like at least a half hour of balling, crying, and that was, like, a release of emotions for me." Link's weight had dropped 50 pounds during treatment. He worked with a nutritionist to build his strength. "He was wonderful. He never ever once said, 'Why me?' He just said, 'What am I going to do to take care of this?'" said Link's mother, Pat. "He always had a smile on his face. He tried to be upbeat about it," said Link's father, Fred. Link went on to graduate from high school on time with the rest of his class. Seven years later, he is cancer-free and has written a book detailing his story. Part of the proceeds will go to cancer research. "I would love to be able to help people in the same situation," Link said. "It feels as if it's kind of my role now to pass that on." Link will be joining 8,000 other participants in the Walk To Cure Cancer on Sept. 25 in Worcester.