Nicole serves our Country while battling EMC.

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays with family and friends.

Chondrosarcoma Awareness Day is hosted annually on February 6. (It will be Shayna Kramer’s heavenly 34th birthday). This is our fifth annual public awareness campaign, an international effort to educate the public about this ultra-rare bone cancer and build a coalition to support more research and clinical trials. We invite all to Join the Fight. The more attention we create, the more support we generate.

Here is all we ask:

We ask that you join us by wearing something Yellow on February 6. It can be a ribbon, pin, or wrist band. We also encourage you to post pictures wearing Yellow on social media platforms using the hashtag: #chondrosarcoma #chondrosarcomafoundation #cswecare

We also ask that you reach out and educate your family, friends and co-workers about chondrosarcoma,and share our information including stories of survivors and those losing their battle to this beast. Help us raise awareness and encourage everyone to Join the Fight. Ask your family, friends and colleagues to go to our website and add their name and email address to our petition so that we can build a strong global coalition.

www.csfshayna.org/support-cs-research

In addition to bringing awareness, in the weeks leading up to Chondrosarcoma Awareness Day: February 6, we share inspirational stories of CS Warriors.They show how strong and resilient we are in the face of adversity. Each week from now to February 6, we will share a story about a member of our community who either lost their battle with Chondrosarcoma to honor their legacy, or those who are surviving and leading productive lives with the help of surgery, radiation, orphan medications, clinical trials and new technologies.

Last week, our first tribute was the story of Ryan Ladd, a survivor who was given the opportunity to tap into new innovative technology to reduce his severe leg pain and lead a normal life using a 3-D printer. This week, we pay tribute to Nicole Stickel. At the young age twenty eight, she is currently on active duty in the Air Force and works as a radiology technician. Nicole is diagnosed with Extraskeletal Myxiod Chondrosarcoma that was found in her right ankle. Nicole shares how she has finds inspiration and purpose competing in the Wounded Warrior program by participating and winning in adaptive sporting events.

Please take a few minutes to read our Nicole’s inspirational story and share these stories with others.