title: Looking for guarantees.
abstract: The article attempts to capture some of the author's experience with the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of her son's cancer. David was 15 when he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma of the left femur. He underwent chemotherapy within 3 weeks of the diagnosis, having undergone port insertion, a needle biopsy of the tumor, and numerous other diagnostic procedures. After four chemotherapy treatments and a series of radiation treatments, David underwent an 8-hour operation to reconstruct the left femur. Bank bone was used as well as the fibula from his lower leg and iliac crest bone from the same side. David continued to be on chemotherapy treatments for just under 2 more years. As a result of this experience, the author's priorities, ways of being with clients, relationships with family members and friends, and outlook on life have all been affected. She has a new appreciation of all that a family goes through when a loved one is in crisis and how it affects the entire family and network of friends.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Patton
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D005266:Femoral Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D012512:Sarcoma, Ewing / Q000451:nursing*