Honoring Vicki Faegre for Chondrosarcoma Awareness Day
Every February 6, the Chondrosarcoma Foundation initiates Chondrosarcoma Awareness Day to bring awareness to Chondrosarcoma and honor the legacy of Shayna Elise Kramer who passed away from this rare cancer in November 2019. This February 6, 2026, will be her 35th heavenly birthday. It was Shayna’s wish to educate the public about Chondrosarcoma and support patients and their families suffering from this rare disease.
Every year we pay tribute to CS Survivors and those who lost their battle with Chondrosarcoma. For the weeks leading up to February 6 we will share the life story and journey of a fellow Chondrosarcoma Warrior.
Our third tribute is Vicki Faegre. In October 2024 I was on holiday in Greece and when I check the Foundation e-mail I was overwhelmed with the number of donations honoring Vicki as well as the number of sentiments and love being expressed. I never had the privilege to meet Vicki in-person, but it was not hard to determine that she lived an exceptional life.
Vicki had an aggressive fast growing sub-type of Chondrosarcoma. Her symptoms started with knee pain that was not going away. She went in to the doctor to get it checked out and after a scan they found a tumor just above her left knee.Before receiving results, she unfortunately fractured her femur due to deterioration of her bone. She had a full knee replacement and partial femur replacement. After recovery she started radiation in December 2023 on her left leg followed by a very aggressive form of chemotherapy. Into the new year, from April through August of 2024 Vicki underwent radiation on her leg and chest as well as receiving chemotherapy. Unfortunately, in early August she slipped and broke hip resulting in another surgery. After surgery, Vicki noticed a swollen lymph node in her groin and some weakening in her left arm. The doctors decided to do a full upper body MRI, and they discovered a tumor on the top right side of her brain. She received radiation on her brain tumor in hoping to shrink it enough so she would be able to regain strength in her left arm and functionality of her hip. After two weeks of rehabilitation therapy, Vicki went home under Hospice care. She made it home on the 5th of September with no treatments in hopes that she would regain some strength and heal. After a month of being home, they had plans to begin a pill form of chemo to prolong her life. During this time, she remained positive and was able to learn how to accept her fate. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 3rd, 2024 with her husband and two kids at her side.
Vicki left an lasting impression on everyone she met. She valued and loved her family and friends. Vicki used her profession as a dental hygienist, volunteered and traveled to Liberia, Africa many times to do mission work and provided dental care to the people of that undeveloped country. Wherever she went she brought sunshine which is most likely the reason why Vicki joined her friends to make floral arrangements and landscaping.
This week we honor Vicki for Chondrosarcoma Awareness Day.
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