Sarcomas are cancers of the connective tissues, such as nerves, muscles, and bones. They can arise anywhere in the body and are frequently hidden deep in the limbs. Sarcomas are often misdiagnosed and assumed to be sports injuries or benign bumps. They are rare tumors, comprising less than 1% of adults' cancers and nearly 21% of children's cancers. Sarcomas are best diagnosed and treated by a team of doctors with experience in all aspects of sarcoma care. Though sarcomas can be aggressive and difficult to treat, many people survive sarcoma.
SarcomaHelp.org contains hundreds of articles that can help patients and their loved-ones understand sarcoma. A few of them are:
- A Guide to the Sarcoma Universe
- Helping a Friend Deal with Sarcoma
- Encouraging guidelines written by sarcoma specialists for Patients, Caregivers and Parents of Children with Sarcoma
The Faces of Sarcoma
In 2008, the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative started a project called The Faces of Sarcoma. We wanted the disease to be known by more than numbers, characteristics, and treatment protocols. We wanted it to be known as more than just another "rare cancer." We believed that photos of sarcoma patients, survivors, and those who have lost their lives to sarcoma would help us tell the story of sarcoma in a more personal way.
In January 2015, with 870 photos in the gallery, the Initiative stopped accepting new submissions. The gallery contains pictures from more than 30 countries that represent over 35 different sub-types of sarcoma. There are photos of young infants, teenagers, young adults, and those in their seventies and eighties. Viewing the photos makes sarcoma more real, more immediate. Each photo could be the face of your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife.
We invite you to browse the photos and catch a glimpse of the global story of sarcoma.
We are no longer accepting photos for this project.
Thank you so much to each person who has contributed a photograph and viewed the gallery. We appreciate sharing the journey with you.