As we continue through July, international sarcoma awareness month, we are honoured to be presenting a number of stories from young patients and their families.
Today we are going to introduce you to Charlii Croese. Charlii is an engaging, effervescent young lady, who despite her challenges with sarcoma, has never missed a beat. Charlii has shared some valuable insight into life since her diagnosis.
At an age when the most difficult decision most sixteen year olds have, is what to wear, Charlii was battling osteosarcoma of the femur, undergoing unspeakably rigorous treatment regimes and surgeries.
Unless you have witnessed the devastation this cancer causes first hand, you cannot begin to imagine what these young patients go through, and yet Charlii, and Imogen like so many others, refuse to allow this disease to define them.
To say we are full of admiration and reverence for Charlii, and other young patients traveling this road, is an understatement.
Charlii Croese in her own words
I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in my femur on 29th of February 2016. I was 16 years old…
What I struggled with most was seeing everyone around me move on with their life and mine just stood still. I wasn’t normal compared to all of my friends.
I lost many other cancer patients that I met through my journey and I felt so guilty to still be here without them. They became my family.
I lost many friends that couldn’t deal with me being sick so they stopped speaking to me and would ignore me.
I became quite depressed while going through treatment as I was always either stuck in a hospital bed or at home staring at the same four walls.
Still to this day whenever I get any ache or pain in my body I always think the worst.
Each day I always have a moment where I think about my journey. I still struggle everyday with what I’ve been through and how many people I’ve lost. So everyday I just tell myself I’m a fighter and to be positive and take everyday as it come.
Mum always said to me everyday while I was battling cancer take it one day at a time and ’til this day it is exactly what I do…