A Dubuque-area boy is returning to a more normal life, after a year-long struggle with a rare form of bone cancer.
Alex Clark has always had a positive attitude toward life. Even when things are bad, Alex has a way of finding the bright side. That winning attitude played an key role in Alex's fight against cancer.
Like most kids his age, Alex enjoys playing video games. He likes to win but doesn't get discouraged when he loses. Even when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma, Alex stayed true to form.
"He's just a very special boy. I mean, sometimes he does get sad about it, but it never lasts for very long, and he's always out there doing what he can do instead of focusing on the negative," says Mary Clark, Alex's mother.
The first step in Alex's recovery began at University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Surgeons removed the cancerous part of bone in his leg, replacing it with a donor bone. Six months of chemotherapy followed. Through it all Alex remained upbeat.
"We just looked on the bright side of things, just saying, 'well, at least I got my leg and stuff.' so, I'm pretty happy with what happened," says Alex.
Alex feels better every day. And no matter what happens in the future, he and his family say they're blessed.
"I can't imagine a family receiving better care from any hospital than what we did here, says David Clark, Alex's father."
"It's hard to see your child go through something like this and keep their spirits up as well as your own. But I think they've done very well," says Joseph Buckwalter, M. D., head of the UI Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.
"I actually like coming back here a little bit because it always means I'm getting one step closer to being done," says Alex.
Every day, Alex gets another piece of his life back. And no matter what, he says he'll never lose his winning attitude.
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