Sierra was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on February 9th, 2021. Not long after diagnosis she quickly learned that it was stage 4 as she had numerous nodules in both of her lungs. Instead of allowing this diagnosis to slow her down, she faced life head on. Her motto was "Be Fierce and Go Forth" and she lived this each and every day.
Sierra was a first grade teacher and her classroom was called "Team Z". Although she had to stop teaching because of the rigorous chemo regimen, she continued to get her Master's Degree in Education as she always wanted to be a principal. She trained her dog "Champ" to be a therapy dog so she could bring him to the classrooms at her school. She always found a way to give back to the community, and it was never about her.
Sierra's last post on her "Sierrafightssarcoma" Instagram account, was her celebrating as a 4 year Cancer Thriver. In her words "4 years of fighting metastatic osteosarcoma is no easy feat, and it's not lost on me how lucky I am to be alive. Even though each year gets a little harder, I am so blessed to still be collecting moments and memories with my friends and family." Unfortunately she passed away 18 days after her cancerversary.
Sierra exemplified what it means to live each day to its fullest. She always had a radiant smile and was a beacon of love and kindness. She would truly be honored to have this fund in her name to help others through their journey.
FACTOR brings together the leading researchers, clinicians, surgeons, together with patient families and OsteoWarriors to Make It Better for those battling this disease.
Each year a grant of $100,000 is awarded to a project that will focus on moving research forward for osteosarcoma patients.
Browse our extensive list of osteosarcoma resources from MIB Agents and our partner organizations.
OsteoBites is a weekly webinar and podcast where we invite Osteosarcoma Experts and OsteoWarriors to share their research, hope, and innovation.
Agent GAMERS game with their fellow OsteoWarriors and OsteoSiblings.
Ambassador Agents are certified peer visitors who provide hope, understanding, and resources.
OsteoWarriors receive monthly letters of hope and cheer from MIB Agent Writers around the world.
When an OsteoWarrior transitions to hospice care, MIB Agents provides an experience or an item of comfort and entertainment.
The OsteoWarriors HQ (headquarters) brings kids and young adults who have a connection to osteosarcoma together and It. Is. Awesome!
A world with less toxic, more effective treatments and a cure for osteosarcoma.
We are devoted to creating and instilling hope with and for our inclusive and collaborative osteosarcoma community. We do this through mutual trust, transparency and compassion.
