An accomplished dancer and life-long equestrian with dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Lauren Gamble was a perfectly healthy teenage girl; until she started to notice a pain in her leg that wouldn’t subside. The pain became so bad that Lauren’s parents, Lindsey Adams and Rob Gamble, decided to take her to see the family doctor this past summer.  

“[Our] family doctor said you need to get to the Children's [Alberta Children's Hospital] right away,” Lindsey said. “Within about three hours of being at the Children's Hospital, we had the diagnosis of osteosarcoma, which is the same cancer that Terry Fox had.” 

The diagnosis shattered the family’s lives, the pieces of which they have been courageously piecing back together since that fateful day. When looking back on that moment, Lindsey’s voice shakes with emotion.  

“My husband was standing behind me at this point, Lauren was in a wheelchair because she had so many tests on her leg and she was having difficulty walking.,” she said. “I remember Lauren starting to cry, and my husband just slid down the wall behind me and he was on the floor crying, and I was trying to keep everyone to get and keep my wits about me.” 

The family has had their dealings with cancer many times before, what with Lindsey watching her own father struggle with cancer and losing her grandmother to cancer, while Rob lost his uncle. But the diagnosis for their 14-year-old daughter was something no parent is ever prepared for. 

Within a day of the diagnosis, Lauren was admitted to the Children’s Hospital and would undergo a biopsy to determine the specific type of bone cancer. 10 days later, she started on a regimen of chemotherapy. The bone cancer that Lauren was diagnosed with, happens most often in children, adolescents, and young adults. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Approximately 800 new cases of osteosarcoma are reported each year in the U.S. Of these cases, about 400 are in children and teens.” 

Last November, Lauren had surgery to remove the cancerous tumour and would resume chemotherapy shortly thereafter. Lauren’s surgery lasted 18 hours.

“[The surgery] meant she needed massive reconstruction and prosthetics. [They took] muscle from her other leg, which they call the donor leg to reconstruct her affected leg,” Adams said. “In doing all of the surgery, they had to sever the nerve to her foot and one of the main arteries and so that's what's left her with the limited mobility.” 

One of the most harrowing things Lauren had to endure, apart from her cancer diagnosis, was being told that she could no longer do the things that allowed her to spread her wings, namely dancing and horseback riding.  

“She was told from that day forward, that there has to be no weight bearing on that leg, because if the bone breaks, and it's even harder to treat moving forward,” Adams said.  

Due to the extensive surgery, Lauren has a drop foot, which is a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. This is due to the fact that nerves were severed during her surgery to remove the tumour. 

“She has no control of her foot, so her foot dangles, she doesn't have the ability to bring it up or push it down. That poses a tripping hazard for her as she walks and as of right now, she's still in a brace for her knee as a result of the surgery,” she said. “She doesn't have the ability to walk properly. She needs what they call an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO).” 

Lauren will also have to undergo extensive rehab after her chemotherapy is complete, but she will have to use the ankle-foot orthosis for the rest of her life. However, Lauren’s medical team thought that a service dog might be able to help Lauren, especially since she can’t wear AFO non-stop as it can cause pressure sores.  

“So, for the service dog, her medical team was looking at some assistance in getting her brace; giving her the independence of the dog retrieving the braces that she needs for whatever purpose and then helping with transitions. A lot of times, transitions from sitting to standing and vice versa can be tricky.” 

However, procuring a service dog is no easy feat. Adams explained that service dogs are certified through an organization that does assessments on behalf of the government.  

“The government approves different organizations that meet their credentials and standards and those people then can do the assessments on the dogs that people would like to use a service dog,” Adams said. “There is a very long training period, in order for a dog to acquire the skills they need to be a certified service dog.” 

It can take anywhere from two to three years of waiting on a waitlist in order to get a service dog and the cost can range from $10,000 to $40,000 dollars. However, Lauren’s family has chosen to opt for what is called an owner-trained dog, which will cost $15,000. 

“That's the route we've chosen, because not only is it more cost-effective, it also allows you to get a puppy in your home right away,” Adams said. “[It] brings a lot of joy to Lauren. Lauren is an animal lover. she has her own horse and she’s been a rider for most of her life.” 

The family was meant to receive a puppy in mid-June, which would coincide with Lauren completing her chemotherapy. However, a stroke of luck, one that was much needed, bequeathed the family with Casper, Lauren’s service dog. A woman who had originally purchased the chocolate lab puppy as a service dog was no longer able to pick him up, hence Lauren and her family picked him up over this past weekend.  

“My daughter chose [the name] Casper because, when we had our intake interview, the lady said, ‘you know, your dog has to be almost like a ghost, he, when he goes into public places. He's an extension of you to help you live independently.’ So, my daughter just ran with that.” 

Lauren’s family borrowed money in order to purchase the dog, but that is only a fraction of the cost of what it will take to train Casper. Hence, a gofundme page to help Lauren and her family has been set up to offset the costs. 

"The commitment now with having an owner-trained dog is two years of training, which is provided through Aspen Service Dogs Inc. It's every week, you go to a class, that's one and a half to two hours, Adams said."Every week, the location of that class can change because the dogs have to be accustomed to being in any type of environment."

And although the four-legged furry friend is meant to not only ease the burden of Lauren’s limited mobility, he is also there to help her emotionally.  

“Cancer is really hard on anyone at any age, but it's especially hard on young people who are in that time of their life where they should be spreading their wings and becoming more independent,” Lindsey said. “She's [Lauren] missed out on a lot of those things.” 

When asked how she is able to continue forward, Lindsey said its small victories that count and that she focuses on. 

“To have to experience that firsthand and watch your child go through it; I can't describe how it impacts your own mental health as a parent while you're trying to stay strong for your child,” she said. “I don't think you truly can understand it until you've experienced it. We choose to focus on the positives and all of the little victories along the way. That's what keeps us going.”  

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com