I suffered a pathological fracture to the left distal Humerus in April of 2008, with no prior signs or symptoms. Diagnosis was confirmed by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology as a De- Differentiated Chondrosarcoma.

I was 42 years old at the time, with an excellent medical history, both individually and familial, (parents/grandparents all 95 plus) with no history of cancer in the family. I took no medications, and was extremely active riding BMX bikes semi-pro, and exploring underwater caves around the world. My world changed at that point, and this became my project.
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When you have cancer, who you know can mean the difference between life and death. Flora Diaz (a pseudonym) found this out when her breast cancer reappeared in the fall of 2003. When it was first discovered seven months earlier, Flora had a mastectomy followed by radiation and tamoxifen to wipe out any lingering cancer cells. However, a few rogue cells had evaded the treatment and reappeared, invading the remaining breast and penetrating into the chest wall. The cells infiltrated nearby lymph nodes, where they could escape into the bloodstream and reach more distant parts of the body.
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By Thomas P. Vogl, PhD
Copyright Thomas P. Vogl 2007-2008.
The following excerpted with permission from http://upislandeggs.com/Ruminations.htm

These Ruminations were written by Thomas P. Vogl, over the course of the time that his mucosal melanoma was discovered to have metastasized until his death. They were written to keep family and friends scattered across the world informed. They are collected here in the hope that they will prove useful and supportive to others in my situation and their families. If they also help to change the way patients are treated by those members of the medical community that have M.D. degrees but that do not interact positively with patients, that is docs who I think are more appropriately called 'people mechanics' than physicians, that would be wonderful.
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In August of 2007, I was diagnosed with stage IIIa/b Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer at the age of 29. As it always is when being diagnosed with any form of cancer, I was shocked. What made it even more shocking was that it was lung cancer. I am a lifelong non-smoker and I have always remained active in sports and athletics. In doing research I became increasingly concerned because of the lack of information that exists surrounding lung cancer and the extremely poor survival statistics. I'm writing today because I want every single patient who has been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer to tell your doctors that you want to have your tumors biopsied and tested for every type of genetic mutation that they know of, especially the EML4-ALK mutation.
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