St. Jude patient, Yarianis is throwing a volleyball

St. Jude patient Yarianis

 

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Before her diagnosis, Yarianis had trained relentlessly for volleyball. By 17, the 6-foot-tall middle blocker was a member of the Puerto Rico women’s national under-19 team.

She also accepted a scholarship offer to play volleyball at a university in Ohio. She was surpassing her aspirations and doing better than she or her family had ever dreamed.

 
St. Jude patient, Yarianis inside a CT Scanner
 
 
St. Jude patient, Yarianis sitting on top of stairs
 

Then one morning, Yarianis felt pain in her left leg during her exercise routine. A few weeks later, she began to feel more tired than usual at practice. Her left knee became swollen. She was told at first that the swelling was due to too much training. She rested but it didn’t get better.

After a visit to an orthopedic doctor and multiple tests, Yarianis was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer. Doctors in Puerto Rico referred her to St. Jude right away.

 
 

At St. Jude, Yarianis learned the cancer had spread to her lungs. In April 2023, within days of her arrival at St. Jude, surgeons performed a lung resection to remove the cancerous nodule. 

She also began chemotherapy to treat the primary tumor and prevent new diseases. In preparation for her leg surgery, she started physical therapy to help with her recovery. Four months later, surgeons performed limb-sparing surgery. The operation was a success, but recovery was difficult.

 
St. Jude patient, Yarianis holding a volleyball
 
 

She went home in February 2024 and was back in school within weeks. Her classmates welcomed her with open arms, and in May she graduated from high school and enjoyed her senior prom.

Yarianis is not playing volleyball these days, but she hasn’t left the court entirely. She has enrolled in coaching courses, aiming to mentor younger volleyball players, and aspires to become a physical therapist. Her dream? To work at St. Jude.

 
 

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At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, we have a legacy of doing what is right — not what is easy. From standing against segregation to launching one of the country's largest pediatric sickle cell programs, every successful stride helps propel us forward.

Dr. Rudolph Jackson (left), the first black doctor at St. Jude

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*When you make a donation using this information, your donation will be used to provide breakthrough research, treatment and cures.  Items listed here are representative of services and supplies that are part of the treatment and care of children at St. Jude.  The cost of each item or service is an approximation, and will vary based on actual costs incurred and individual patient needs.  Your donation will be used for the general operating needs of St. Jude, where no family ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food.

 
 
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