patient story

patient name: Darcie Osborne

age: 15

condition: osteosarcoma

seen in: hematology/oncology

provider: Rachael Courtney, DO

In fall 2023, Darcie Osborne stared complaining that her wrist was hurting after a volleyball game. After a couple of days it still wasn’t feeling better, so her mom, Brittnee, went ahead and scheduled online with Dayton Children’s orthopedics team. The day before Darcie’s appointment, she was playing in a basketball game when she injured her wrist further. Her parents, Brittnee and Aaron, took her to Dayton Children’s urgent care in Springboro, where they did X-rays. The X-rays looked a bit suspicious, so they sent Darcie to main campus for further testing.

When they arrived at main campus, Darcie was admitted to the hematology/oncology floor while they ran more tests to figure out a diagnosis. After a few days they confirmed Darcie had osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in her wrist. She immediately met with Rachael Courtney, DO and they started discussing Darcie’s treatment plan.

the best care, right in Dayton

“We would have given up our lives to make sure Darcie would get the best care, but it turned out the best care was right here in Dayton. Dr. Courtney laid it out very clear. She explained that pretty much it doesn’t matter if you’re in New York City or the hills of Tennessee - When a child is diagnosed with cancer it’s the same treatment across the board,” Brittnee remembers.

This is thanks to Dayton Children’s membership in Children’s Oncology Group (COG), a multi-center alliance with other leading pediatric cancer institutions. Being part of COG means children receive access to the same best protocols they would at other member hospitals, allowing families to stay close to home for treatment knowing that they are receiving top-quality care.

starting treatment

Darcie’s treatment plan was six and a half months, starting with chemotherapy treatments before she would need a bone graft. This is a specialized surgery where they attempt to remove the tumor, and part of Darcie’s healthy leg bone would be used to reconstruct the effected bone in her arm.

Dayton Children’s partners with Nationwide Children’s to support patients with bone cancers. Through this one program, two campus approach, patients go to Nationwide Children’s for surgery with Thomas Scharschmidt, MD, director of the orthopedic oncology program at Nationwide Children’s, then return to Dayton Children’s for follow up care. Dr. Scharschmidt also holds regular clinics at Dayton Children’s to help lessen the burden on these families during this journey.

feeling like home

“There’s just something about Dayton Children’s – It feels like home. Every nurse on that floor made a memory with Darcie. And Dr. Courtney is such a special human being. She laughed and cried with Darcie during treatment, and would give her options to pick for her treatment when she could,” Brittnee said. “In this situation where Darcie had no control, Dr. Courtney helped make her feel like she had control.”

creating a community

After her body had healed a bit from the surgery, Darcie started her chemotherapy treatments again. Many of these treatments required her to walk around the unit. During these walks, Darcie would start up conversations with other kids. Eventually, these relationships grew stronger, and Darcie and a few other patients started a group text thread to all stay connected.

“It started with three of us, and every time someone new comes and is about our age, we add them to the chat. We go on there if we have problems with our port or PICC line. We just go there to talk about what we’re going through,” Darcie shared.

Beyond the group text, Darcie also has an infectious light that she shares with other kids and families on the hem/onc floor.  Because of her strength and positivity, Darcie has been asked everything from babysitting for little ones when they go home, to being a sort of advocate to talk with newly diagnosed patients.

Darcie says, “[The diagnosis and treatment are] scary, but you have to face it, and try not to be negative. I have to make the best of it what it is, and helping others and being an inspiration for them helps me do that.”

like mother, like daughter

Darcie’s positive outlook and desire to connect and inspire others runs in her family; Brittnee has also built her own community of parents. “At first, I was standoffish, because they’re going through a hard time just like I am, but I have to put that aside and be outspoken to help others. I’d ask families if they needed anything as I would walk around the floors. A lot of times they didn’t need anything, but those conversations built rapport and then I found lifelong friends,” Brittnee shared.

looking forward

Darcie has finished chemotherapy, and celebrated her bell-ringing with many of the friends and families that she has connected with during her time in treatment. Darcie has one more surgery so she can get full range in her wrist again, then regular scans to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back. Now, Darcie is excited to be a kid again. She is starting high school this year and is ready to go back and be “normal.”

“We just want to be an inspiration for others. In that time of need, you need that. You need to have someone on your side,” Brittnee shared. “When you’re at the hospital a lot you have nobody – your family and friends are at home. The staff and other patients and families become your family. We couldn’t have done this without Dayton Children’s.”

Darcie is part of a series featuring families who bonded together during their children's cancer treatment at Dayton Children's. These families supported each other through the highs and lows of their journeys - the encouragement, positivity and connection with this group helped them through their most difficult moments. Read more of their stories here: Brandon Watts, Blakely Mefford, Nolan O'Neill