Every Step a Story: Emma’s Story of Navigating Life with Cancer at 21
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Some stories are most powerful in the words of those who lived them.
The following is Emma’s story, shared in her own words.
My name is Emma. I am 24 years old and I am a cancer survivor.
I am in the ninth “season” of my cancer, and just like Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall I have experienced many changes as I navigate this disease physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I was diagnosed with bone sarcoma at the age of 21. Before I was diagnosed, I was working full time as an esthetician and living my life. Even though I was a little different than most 21 year olds, as I did not drink, party, or attend college, I was doing something I loved. I got to talk with people, make connections, and was saving up for my future.
Little did I know that the future would be battling cancer.
It all started with some hip pain while I was working. As a wax specialist, I was on my feet all day, walking from the wax room to my clients and constantly moving, so I didn’t think much of it. I figured I was just sore and continued on with life as normal.
Living at the Jersey Shore, I have always loved going to the beach. In July of 2024, I was sitting in my beach chair when I felt a pop in my hip. That was the moment that I knew something was wrong. It prompted me to call my doctor, who sent me for an X-ray right away. When they scheduled my MRI for less than a week later, I knew it wasn’t good
When the results came in, all I was told was that there was a lesion. It could be anything from a cyst to cancer, so I took the next steps. I went up to Morristown to see an orthopedic oncology surgeon, who then sent me for a bone biopsy. By that point, I had a feeling it was bad and knew this wasn’t going to be an easy fix.
In August 2024, I was diagnosed with a High Grade Spindle Cell Sarcoma.
After that, everything seemed to move very quickly, but also in slow motion at the same time. Suddenly, I had to start thinking about my future in a completely different way. At 21, I had to think about whether I wanted to be a mom someday. That led me to going through fertility preservation and freezing some of my eggs in hopes of having kids one day.
By September, I had started chemotherapy and made the decision to try a cold cap in hopes of saving my hair. While it did save my hair, it was so painful and cold.
The day after Thanksgiving in November 2024, I had my sarcoma removed. I was told the surgery lasted seven hours, with a lot of people in the room watching. Afterward, I had to learn to walk again. I never imagined learning how to walk at 22 years old would be part of my life.
After the sarcoma was removed, they sent it for pathology, and it came back as an “Unclassified Undifferentiated High Grade Sarcoma,” which is a fancy way of saying they didn’t know what it was. I then completed four more rounds of chemotherapy, bringing me to six rounds total.
My life for 8 months was just fighting through everything.
While I was in treatment, I was told about Mary’s Place by the Sea, but I wanted to wait until I was done with treatment to make it my reward for getting through. In June of 2025, just two months out of treatment, I was able to attend an overnight retreat.
After everything I had been through, it was so nice to simply relax and not feel pressure from anything else.
In August of 2026, I got to attend another overnight retreat at Mary’s Place by the Sea with the Alayna Jayne Foundation. That was an experience like no other.
This time, I met girls my age who had gone through similar things as me. That was incredible! We all laughed and talked about what we had been through, and they truly understood what I was saying. It was different from my first stay at Mary’s Place in the best way.
We enjoyed all the things Mary’s Place has to offer, like oncology massages, reiki, and yoga, but the experience became about so much more than the services. We came together for lunch and were able to just talk. After our relaxing days, we played card games, had dinner on the beach, and even got ready and dressed up for dinner in Asbury one night.
The time at Mary’s Place truly made me smile in a way I hadn’t in a while. I laughed, relaxed, and got to enjoy being around people who understood what I had been through. I finally felt like a normal 24 year old again.
I wasn’t just the girl with cancer.
Being a young adult, I was always the youngest in the infusion center, and it’s hard. Everyone likes to say, “But you’re so young” when there is talk about having cancer at a young age.
We have to deal with this for the rest of our lives, hoping that’s a long time. We have to face things that other people our age don’t necessarily have to think about, including the possibility that we may not be able to have our own children because of what chemotherapy does to our bodies.
Mary’s Place connected me with girls who know being “so young” is not always a good thing.
Now, at 24, I am finally getting back to living life the way it’s meant to be lived, with wonderful memories I will have forever and friends who truly understand, thanks to the Alayna Jayne Foundation and Mary’s Place by the Sea.
We know every step, every story and every journey is unique. We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate the incredible women we serve like Emma at our Annual Walk-A-Thon & 5K this October.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/OceanGrove/MarysPlacebytheSeaWalkathon
