Meet Our Extremity Scholar: Desiree
On an otherwise unremarkable evening, in April of 2022, Desiree Duran’s dog Cooper saved her life. Desiree was 23 years old at the time and studying Early Childhood Education. She had just turned out the lights and with Cooper right on her heels, she tripped over the dog and fell. She knew right away she would need medical attention and so Desiree went to get x-rays taken. After the x-ray, she was sent for an MRI. There were no fractures, but the scans revealed a tumor that would eventually be diagnosed as stage three osteosarcoma.
In the next months, Desiree underwent rounds of intensive chemo, but the cancer surged onward, spreading into her lungs. The decision was made to remove her femur, and Desiree discovered less than an hour before surgery that a critical nerve also needed to be removed. She would never move her foot up and down again. Through grit and perseverance, Desiree battled on. Today she is cancer free and pursuing a new career inspired by that first fateful fall: radiology. The Limb Preservation Foundation is proud to offer Desiree a 2024 Extremity Scholarship to help fund her education dreams.
