The Assistance Fund – A Note of Thanks from Drake’s Parents

by Arthur Beckert

We recently received a letter from a grant recipient from our Assistance Fund. This fund helps pay for second opinions from sarcoma specialists.

"As the parents of a teen diagnosed with sarcoma, we wanted to make the very best medical decisions for our son, but when we received conflicting opinions about his care my husband and I felt so helpless. This was our child’s life, and we didn’t know who to trust. Ultimately, we chose to seek out a synovial sarcoma specialist whose practice focused on teens and young adults. While our insurance company wouldn’t cover our visit to Dana Farber in Boston, there was no question that this was what we needed to give us peace of mind—and that’s exactly what we got. Thanks to our visit with Doctor Albritton, we felt that Drake’s prognosis was good enough to forego chemotherapy and finally move on with our lives. The trip to Boston also enabled us to visit Harvard and MIT and dream about a future where anything was possible. We are so grateful to the Sarcoma Alliance, not only for the grant that helped to cover the costs of our visit, but also for all the information and support we received on the Web site. You were definitely a source of hope during an extremely difficult time."