Patient shares sarcoma survival story during Sarcoma Awareness Month

CLEVELAND — Stephen McDonnell recently retired as a school principal and is in a great place in his life, but that wasn’t the case four years ago.

“I didn’t read anything about it. I refused to do that. My wife had read a lot, I could tell it was bad,” McDonnell said.

McDonnell was referring to the type of he was diagnosed with in 2020, sarcoma. It developed near his thyroid.

Sarcomas is a rare and aggressive type of cancer that develops in bones and muscle, according to Dr. Nicole Fowler, a surgical oncologist at University Hospitals.

McDonnell’s cancer came on very quickly as a mass that grew as big as a baseball near his neck.  

He said he had dark thoughts when he was first diagnosed, but that changed when he met Fowler.

“To have your world change from dark thoughts to hope and optimism, that’s what she did for me,” McDonnell said.

Sarcomas don’t typically have risk factors like smoking or exposure to toxins, which means anyone can get them and they usually catch people by surprise.

“Unfortunately…there is no screening test for sarcoma at this time as much as we wish that there were,” Fowler said.

McDonnell had his thyroid removed and 33 straight days of radiation. Despite losing his booming voice that once came in handy as a principal, he was able to thank Fowler in his speech at his daughter’s wedding.

“I’m not there if she (Fowler) isn’t in our life,” McDonnell said. “She was an honored guest.”