Hi,

My name is Kelly Wilson. I live in Oklahoma and my daughter Tylar was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma of the right jaw in 2004 at the age of 6. She underwent chemo and also a 14-hour surgery to remove her tumor and reconstruct her jaw. They used a rib bone, but it ended up having to be removed after 2 months of battling infections. We are currently seeing Dr. Kenneth Salyer in Dallas, TX. He will be doing a reconstruction of her jaw using a leg bone within the next year. Tylar has been off of chemo since April of 2005 and currently has no evidence of disease. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me. It is so hard to find people with Osteo of jaw to talk to. I searched high and low when Tylar was diagnosed only to find two other people with her disease in the jaw. One was in Texas, a man in his 40s, the other in Hong Kong.

Tylar's cancer was primary, as she had not had radiation or another cancer before. When they removed the tumor, it was larger than anticipated. Her jaw was completely a huge tumor. The actual jawbone was thin as a sheet of paper. My hope is to help others who may face this horrible disease with information.

Hi Kelly,
and welcome to the site. You are the first here with an osteosarcoma question. I had osteomylitis when I was a child and was laid up for a year as a result of it.

I remember well going to UCSF for treatment and seeing the toys for the children they were treating. It was surreal and very sad to see the children going through treatment. They had special days for treating the children so they could be together.

Several here had had jaw reconstructions though and may be able to answer some of your questions.

I will keep you and Tylar in my prayers.

Hi Kelly, I am so sorry to hear of the trauma your little one has had to go through in her short life.
Your willingness to help others through the heartbreak you have experienced, is commendable.
Welcome to the forum.

Take Care
Marica

Dear Kelly and Tyler, how strong you both must be! Thinking about what Tyler has endured puts alot of my trivial aches and pains in perspective. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. Amy

Hi Kelly.

I had my jaw bone replaced on both the right and left side. It was done by Drs. at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. They used a piece of my leg bone also. The major problem is no feeling on the chin. If some food accidently drops on my chin while eating I don't know it as I have no feeling where the jaw replacement occured. Someone has to tell me or it will fall on my lap. Also no teeth so the type of food I eat is limited. When I read of other people who have had oral cancer roblems of not swalling, receiving their nutrition only by the famous "PEG" make me realize how fortunate I am. Hopefully Tyler is as fortunate as I. I have held off getting teeth because of the cost of implants and having to go through the High oxygen treatment to attempt to make sure the implants heal correctly. Dry mouth is also a problem at
night. The best advise is think positive and count your blessings. It could be much worse. I have been cancer free for three years. The Drs. at Mayo said that if you make it past 18 months without a reoccurance then you are 95% cured. Any way I can help you and your lovely daughter please don't hesitate. If I can answer any questions, please let me know.

Best of Luck.

Hugs,
Hacklene