Doctors are calling a USF softball player a medical mystery after a rare tumor turned out to be benign.
- USF softball player Meredith Bissette misdiagnosed with rare care but still needs serious surgery
- Surgery will cause her to miss school, leave rods in her back, which could keep her from playing softball
- After the cancer scare, Bissette cut off her hair and donated it to Locks of Love
Meredith Bissette, 20, was diagnosed last month with chordoma, a rare cancer with a grim survival rate.
Although tests pointed to the disease, and mimicked the symptoms, Bissette says doctors have now diagnosed her with a giant cell bone tumor along with an aneurysmal bone cyst.
Bissette, who had received treatment in Boston, says the tumor is responding well to steroid treatment, which also baffles doctors.
Bissette’s teammates have showered her with support online and even carry her jersey to every game.
The new diagnosis, while a relief to Bissette and her family, will still require serious surgery and plenty of recovery time.
The sophomore will get surgery in August, causing her to miss the first semester of school. The surgery will also leave rods in her back, which could keep her from playing softball all together.
“If I can’t play again, I’ll still go to practice. I’ll go to all the games. I’ll go to all of the functions. They are my family. I have 22 sisters in my second family. It’s my second home. I still want to be around them,” said Bissette.
When Bissette returns, she’ll be without her trademark long hair. After the cancer scare, she cut off her hair and donated it to Locks of Love.
“Some kids are really sad they don’t get to have hair because they’re going through chemotherapy. So I just decided to cut my hair and give it away,” she said.
She was inspired to help others after so many have reached out during her medical journey. Bissette hopes to return to USF in 2017.