A 17 year-old with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that affects children and adults, has written and performed a heartbreaking song saying goodbye to family and friends after being given months to live earlier this year.
Zach Sobiech is selling the song “Clouds” through the iTunes Store to raise money towards developing treatments for the disease and his cancer charity is also accepting donations. Since it was posted Dec. 5, the video has generated more than 1 million views on YouTube as of today.
About 400 people under age 20 are diagnosed with osteosarcoma each year in the US, according to the American Cancer Society — accounting for half of the new cases. Zach was diagnosed in 2009 at 14 and has had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments to remove tumors that grew inside his bones. Earlier this year physicians informed him that the cancer has spread to his lungs and pelvis, according to Sobiech’s page on CaringBridge. He is currently on a drug to slow tumor growth, according to the website. Zach goes to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital for treatment.
A search for pediatric osteosarcoma on the ClinicalTrials.gov website revealed that of 73 trials about 27 are recruiting or active with the rest either completed, terminated, or with an unknown status. Among the pharmaceutical companies working on treatments within this group are Amgen, AstraZeneca and the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration, and Eleison Pharmaceuticals.
