My name is Shaina Reed. I am 16 years old. I'm a freshman at Cherokee High School in Rogersville, Tn. I live on a farm in Whitesburg, Tn. I have a cow and a calf. I want to learn how to ride a horse and wish to own one someday. I enjoy reading adventure books and going for walks. I am also a cancer survivor.

When I was 9 years old, I was playing basketball and cheerleading. At the time, I was experiencing leg pain on and off. My parents thought I pulled a muscle. They treated me with heat and ice and it seemed to help, but the pain would always come back.

Then one Saturday, I had a game and cheerleading afterwards. They decided to take me to the E.R. to get checked as a precaution. The doctors took X-rays and found a mass in the left femur. In December of 1999, I went to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis and was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. I was able to come home after 9 days at the hospital and my chemotherapy treatments started the day after Christmas.

In one year during treatments, I was hospitalized 20 times, had 30 blood and platelet transfusions, and had major surgery on my leg. The doctors removed about 75% of the bone in my leg and replaced it with prosthesis. I went from 77 pounds down to 55 pounds and lost all my hair. I thought losing my hair would bother me but it didn't. I didn't like wigs and sometimes wore hats. I thought no hair was cool.

Every time I grew, the doctors could lengthen the prosthesis without surgery. I had this done but had complications every time. I was the third person to receive this type of prosthesis in the country, and it was not approved through the FDA at the time. It was made in Paris.

Because no one had this before, the doctors did not know what to do for me. They ended up doing surgery and putting another one in since I was almost done growing. That was April of 2005. I had been in physical therapy for over five years. Every time I made progress and it was time to lengthen my prosthesis, I would be back in a wheelchair or on crutches.

I will go to camp Horizon this summer. It will be my sixth year attending. I can do almost anything I want to, and what I can't do, I enjoy watching. At camp, I make friends every year and remain in touch with some. Some day I would like to be a counselor at camp.

Since I've been sick, I've gotten involved in several activities and organizations. Although I cannot ride a bike, I still participate each year in the St. Jude bike-a-thon by riding a go-cart, dune buggy, or 4-wheeler. Each year, I am interviewed on the air of our local radio station WRGS for the St. Jude radio.

In the 5th grade, I did my science fair project on my cancer and won grand prize. Since then, I have used it to educate people at Relay for Life meetings and my physical therapist.

I am on the Relay for Life planning committee as Jr Co-chair for the second year. I also participate every year and I'm on the team of our local newspaper-Rogersville Review. I was interviewed by St. Jude and parts of my interview were selected to be used on the Country Cares CD that went out to 200 radio stations across the country to kick off the radiothons in 2005.

I also got over 50 people to sign up and donate blood at a safety meeting sponsored by Home Depot by sharing my story at a booth at the entrance at the store.

I have practically a normal life after cancer. I still don't have full use of my leg, but I don't let it stop me from doing things.