A Germantown woman has been diagnosed with two types of cancers, and one is so rare only 500 to a 1,000 people in the United States are diagnosed every year.
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Heidi Sprang is under 40 and finds herself in a fight for her life.
"This totally turned everything upside down for us completely," Sprang said.
Earlier this year she noticed a lump on her shoulder after getting out of the shower. After tests, X-rays and a biopsy - Heidi was diagnosed with Pleomorphic Liposarcoma.
"I literally thought I was going in to get something benign removed and a couple of weeks later, getting that phone call that it is in fact cancer,” she said.
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For treatment Sprang sought the expertise of Dr. Nick Webber with Aurora Health Care.
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Webber is nationally known for his work with sarcoma patients.
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"To treat sarcomas in the past we have used chemo and radiation but now we are seeing if we can really plug into genetic code to change things," Webber said.
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It’s a change this family desperately needs. Not only is Sprang fighting sarcoma, she was also recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed.
Her father faced with prostate cancer 15 years ago. Her sister has battled breast cancer. And it doesn't stop there. Four years ago, Sprang caught a cancerous tumor growing in her daughter’s right eye.
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"The other component is that we are all very young when we were diagnosed with cancer," she said.
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Webber says genetic testing could be key for early detection in Sprang’s children or anyone with a family history of cancer, especially sarcomas.
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"In the case where there is a genetic predisposition there are things we can do,” he said. “We look for genes called tumor suppressor."
The lack of one tumor suppressor means a person's capacity to fight off cancer is cut in half.
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Through all of this Sprang has found strength in her husband and children.
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"We are a family no matter what and we will make it through we made it through with Natalie we will make it through this too," she said.
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Together with her team of doctors the family is determined to beat cancer.
If you are interested in helping out the family, Sprang has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for her medical expenses.
