Initial Diagnosis

As most of you know, Eric was diagnosed with a sarcoma in his temporomandibular joint (TMJ) on Friday. The tumor is about the size of a raquetball (4-5 cm in diameter) and is growing inward which will make the removal very difficult. We do not know what type of sarcoma the tumor is yet. The initial diagnosis is either an osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, or a high-grade chondrosarcoma. There is also a possibility that the tumor is an agressive benign tumor.

Sarcomas are a very rare form of cancer- especially in this location. They are generally found found in a limb or in the pelvis. Because of the type and location of the cancer, there are probably no doctors in Utah qualified to treat this cancer. We are looking into treatment at a sarcoma center somewhere else in the US. Right now we are trying to the right location and team of doctors to treat this difficult type of cancer. We appreciate your prayers in helping us find the right place to have this treated.

As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult time for our family. There is still a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety over this diagnosis. But we know that Heavenly Father loves and cares about us. We know that he is aware of our situation and will bless us. We have great faith that Eric will survive this cancer.

We appreciate all of the love and support we have received from all of you. Please keep Eric in your prayers.

We will be updating this blog regularly to keep all of you informed as we this go through this process.

-The Vogels