Timothy Wahl had just returned from a vacation skiing when he noticed that he was having a hard time walking. Prior to going to see a doctor, he thought he had pulled a muscle. When the doctor told him it was probably poor circulation, and a Doppler came out fine, he thought it was likely nothing to worry about.
But after having recurring pain in the middle of the night, he decided to have an X-ray after which his doctors confirmed his worst fears; that he had osteosarcoma in his left distal femur.
"It was a real blow to me and my wife. While my wife immediately began putting all of her energy into researching the disease and the treatment options that were available, I wasn't even in the mind frame to do that when I first found out. We have three children, ages 6, 8 and 10 years old, so my first thought was that it would be in their best interest to wait until they were older before we discussed my cancer," says Timothy.
"They said that as long as it was contained, it would be non life-threatening," he said.
The next day, his doctors called to say that they had succeeded in containing his cancer and that the possibility of losing his leg was out of the question.
"From that point on, my only focus was my family, recovery and maintaining a positive attitude. I am a big skier and I work out a lot and play basketball, so I was hopeful I would be able to resume many of the activities I had engaged in before," said Timothy.
"I don't run around as much as I used to, and there are still some things that can be a little hard, but I am truly glad to be alive. I have more of an appreciation for each day and I am thankful that there are technologies out there like the Stryker GMRS™ system, " he says.
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A high school teacher and Little League coach, Steve Fish knows the importance of doing research and choosing the right play. For him, finding the right doctor and the right solution to address... 
