Collin Kerstein’s Cancer Story

Collin was recently diagnosed with Adamantinoma. An extremely rare bone cancer. I want to deeply thank anyone who can help donate to this kid and greatly appreciate anyone who takes the time to read about Collin and his story…

One day at school Collin was playing around with friend, He fell and when he did he broke his tibia and fibula bones. After going to the hospital and having X-rays done it was realized that something was very wrong. They found a mass inside his bone that left him basically bedridden for almost 2 months. His entire leg from foot to hip was in a splint and wrapped heavily in bandages. 

At a follow up appointment they did an mri and decided he needed surgery right away. The following week went to Helen Devos children’s hospital where they did surgery to put his bones back together. They took a biopsy of the mass and cleaned out the area. His bones were disintegrating during the surgery where the mass was.. They did a bone graph adding another piece inside to help stop it from falling apart and they plated it all back together.  Now they are waiting to see if the bones will heal together. He is unable to walk and has a long road ahead of him. 

There will be many more tests and appointments in the next two years even if all goes well… This has a high survival rate but will require life long maintenance and testing to make sure it doesn’t spread or grow elsewhere. 30% chance that will come back and require more surgery later in his life. It is locally aggressive and recurrences are common after resection.. 

Adamantinomas are rare slow-growing cancerous bone tumors that form primarily in the tibia (shin bone) but occasionally in the jaw, forearm, hands, or feet. It is so rare that it makes up less than 1% of ALL bone cancers combined.. 20% percent of the time, these tumors spread to the lungs which is deadly or nearby lymph nodes. These tumors require aggressive treatment.. Surgeries to cut it out and rebuild the bones. Sometimes amputations. If any cancer cells are missed it will come back but if done right there is good chance it won’t. Chemo and radiation won’t work to cure this cancer. 

There are many daily struggles the family is suddenly facing. Some bigger than others. They need better transportation to get him back and forth from Muskegon to Grand Rapids. Also to be able to commute to work. Relying on rides is proving to be a huge burden. He would like a desk he can wheel up to for homework or just to have place for a laptop. Possibly having to find new housing. Help with the household bills for a bit, gas to get them back and forth.. so on..  Thank you for any support you can give. It is all very much appreciated.