>>> WE’RE BACK WITH MORE FROM
OUR SPECIAL THANKS AND GIVING
SERIES WHICH FOCUSES ON THE
LIFE-SAVING WORK BEING DONE AT
ST. JUDE’S CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL.
>> THIS MORNING WE’RE MEETING
TWO STEP SISTERS WHO SHARE NO
DNA YET THEY BOTH FOUGHT BONE
CANCER TOGETHER SIDE BY SIDE.
HERE’S NBC’S KRISTEN DOLL GREP.
KRISTEN DAHLGREN.
>> Reporter: WHEN THE STEP
SISTERS MET AT AGE 4, THE
CONNECTION WAS INSTANT.
>> WE WERE AUTOMATICALLY BEST
FRIENDS.
>> WE WOULD GO PLAY IN THE YARD
AND MAKE FORTS.
WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE CITY OF
TOGETHER.
>> Reporter: THOUGH THEY DIDN’T
LIVE TOGETHER AND ARE GNAWNOT BY
LODGE CATTY RELATED, THEY SHARED
EVERYTHING. AT 13, OLIVIA’S DIAGNOSIS OF
AT 13, OLIVIA’S DIAGNOSIS OF
KNEE PAIN LED TO A OSTEO
SARCOMA.
>> WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
>> IT WAS SCARY.
I DIDN’T PROCESS IT AND YOU
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
SO IT WAS JUST MORE LIKE THE
UNKNOWN.
LIKE I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
>> I NEVER HEARD OF LIKE A KID
GETTING CANCER.
THAT WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING I
THOUGHT LIKE A GRANDPARENT WOULD
GET OR SOMETHING.
>> THEY SOUGHT TREATMENT AT ST.
JUDE’S CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL.
>> I SAW THIS ITS KID WHEN I
WALKED IN AND THOUGHT I’M GOING
TO BE FINE.
THAT’S WHEN I REALIZED IT WAS
ALL GOING TO BE OKAY.
>> FIVE WEEKS LATER, HER SISTER
CAME TOO, BUT NOT TO VISIT.
NATALIE WAS ALSO HAVING PAIN IN
HER RIGHT LEG.
>> I DIDN’T THINK IT WAS
ANYTHING.
I WAS LIKE MY SISTER HAS CANCER.
NO WAY LIKE I HAVE IT.
>> SHE DID.
OSTEOSARCOMA, DIAGNOSED JUST
WEEKS AFTER HER STEP SISTER.
>> IT’S 1 IN A BILLION.
I DON’T KNOW OF ANY OTHER STORY
LIKE THAT I’VE EVER WITNESSED
SINCE 1991 WHEN I’VE BEEN
PRACTICING PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY.
>> IT WAS HARD TO EXPLAIN.
OKAY, SO YOU’RE SISTERS, IT’S
GENETIC OR SOMETHING.
WE’RE LIKE NO.
>> ENVIRONMENTAL.
NO.
>> Reporter: LESS THAN 450 KIDS
ARE DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE BONE
TUMOR IN THE U.S. EVERY YEAR.
DOCTORS AT ST. JUDE HAD NO
BETTER EXPLANATION FOR THE
INCREDIBLE COINCIDENCE, BUT THEY
DID HAVE TREATMENT, INCLUDING
CHEMOTHERAPY AND SURGERY FOR
BOTH GIRLS.
>> IT’S A BIG SURGERY.
AND IT WAS SCARY.
>> WE HAD LIKE THE EXACT SAME
THING SO WE HAD THE SAME
TREATMENT PROTOCOL.
WE COULD HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS
THAT WE COULDN’T HAVE IN NOBODY
ELSE BECAUSE NO ONE UNDERSTANDS.
>> Reporter: THEY HAVE EVEN HAD
THE SAME RECOVERY PROCESS,
INCLUDING LEARNING TO WALK
AGAIN, SIDE BY SIDE.
TODAY THEY ARE POST-TREATMENT
AND BACK TO ENJOYING LIFE.
>> ROUARE YOU ABLE TO DANCE AGAI
>> I WAS NEVER ABLE TO DANCE.
>> Reporter: THEY ALSO SHARE A
LOVE OF TIKTOK, ESPECIALLY STAR
SAM HURLEY, SO WE HAD A SURPRISE
LINED UP.
>> I HEARD THAT SAM IS A BIG FAN
OF YOURS TOO, AND HE WANTED TO
SEND YOU A MESSAGE.
>> HEY, GIRLS, IT’S SAM HURLEY.
I HOPE Y’ALL HAVE BEEN DOING
REALLY WELL.
WE’RE HERE WORKING ON MY
ORIGINAL SONG.
I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU GUYS TO
LEARN THIS DANCE AND SHOW ME
YOUR BEST VIDEO EVER.
SO HERE IT IS. ♪
GOOD LUCK.
>> THAT’S NOT AN EASY ONE.
I THINK WE NEED SOME HELP.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
>> HI, SAM.
>> WHAT’S UP?
THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD.
BUT I JUST -- IT TOOK ME THREE
HOURS TO LEARN AND THAT’S THE
ONLY DANCE I KNOW.
THAT ONE WAS REALLY HARD SO I
GIVE YOU A PASS FOR THAT.
>> I HAVE HOMECOMING IN TWO
WEEKS, JUST SAYING.
>> NOTED, NOTED.
>> Reporter: AND WHILE HE MAY
NOT MAKE THE DANCE, SAM IS
DEFINITELY INSPIRED.
>> THAT’S CRAZY, BECAUSE THEY’RE
STILL SO YOUNG AND JUST SO
STRONG.
>> Reporter: SISTERS FIGHTING
CANCER TOGETHER, AND FINDING NEW
FAMILY AT ST. JUDE.
>> IF I CAME BACK HOME DURING
THE TREATMENT, THEY SAW BALD AND
THEY SAW CANCER.
BUT WHEN I WAS AT ST. JUDE, THEY
SAW ME.
>> IT’S JUST A REMARKABLE STORY,
TRULY REMARKABLE.
MARLO THOMAS IS THE NATIONAL
OUTREACH DIRECTOR FOR ST. JUDE’S
CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL.
MARLO, GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US THIS
MORNING.
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT.
THESE STEP SISTERS NOT
BIOLOGICALLY RELATED, THEY
DIDN’T LIVE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER,
BUT THEY WERE DIAGNOSED JUST
WEEKS FROM EACH OTHER
NONETHELESS.
WHAT DID THEIR DOCTORS THINK
ABOUT THAT?
>> IT’S COMPLETELY SHOCKING.
IT’S A COMPLETE COINCIDENCE.
THESE TWO GIRLS WERE FRIENDS FOR
A LONG TIME.
THEIR MOMS WERE MARRIED TO THE
SAME MAN AT ONE POINT.
SO THEY’RE STEP SISTERS, BUT
THERE’S NO BLOOD RELATION.
AND THE FAMILY KNEW WHAT THE
SYMPTOMS WERE BECAUSE THE ONE
GIRL HAD HAD IT, OLIVIA HAD BEEN
DIAGNOSED JUST WEEKS BEFORE, BUT
NOBODY COULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT
NATALIE ALSO HAD OSTEOSARCOMA.
IT WAS LIKE LIGHTNING STRIKING
TWICE IN THE SAME FAMILY, BUT
THANK GOD THEY BOTH CAME TO ST.
JUDE AND THEY’RE DOING GREAT.
OLIVIA FINISHED HER TREATMENT.
SHE’S 14 YEARS OLD AND I THINK
SHE’S IN OOINTTHE NINTH GRADE AN
NATALIE IS 15 YEARS OLD AND ALSO
DOING WELL IN SCHOOL.
I THINK SHE’S ALSO IN THE NINTH
GRADE.
SO THEY’RE DOING GREAT.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT’S EXCITING IS
THAT THIS IS A PROCESS, A
THERAPY THAT WE INVENTED AT ST.
JUDE, WHICH IS WHERE YOU HAVE A
BONE CANCER, THEY TAKE OUT THE
TUMOR AND PLACE AN ARTIFICIAL
JOINT THERE.
AND THEN WE’RE ABLE TO HAVE A
DEVICE THAT REMOTELY EXPANDS
THIS PROSTHESIS AS THE CHILD’S
LEG GROWS, WHICH ELIMINATES THE
NEED FOR MULTIPLE SURGERIES OVER
THE YEARS.
IT’S AN AMAZING, AMAZING
TREATMENT.
AND THE INTERESTING THING IS,
SINCE OLIVIA AND NATALIE
FINISHED THEIR TREATMENT, WE
CONTINUE TO MAKE ADVANCES IN
THIS AREA.
ST. JUDE IS THE FIRST IN THE
WORLD TO USE A NEW BONE TRANSFER
ROD IT’S CALLED.
YOU PUT THAT INTO THE CHILD’S
LEG WHERE THE BONE IS MISSING
AND IT ACTUALLY STIMULATES
GROWTH IN THE BONE.
IT STIMULATES THEIR OWN BONE
GROWTH SO THAT MEANS THEY WILL
HAVE THAT MUCH MORE SUPPORT IN
THEIR LEG AS THEY GROW.
IT’S VERY EXCITING.
YOU KNOW, IN THE OLD DAYS KIDS
HAD THEIR LIMBS AMPUTATED.
THAT’S WHY WE CALL IT THE
LIMB-SAVING PROCEDURE.
THEY KEEP THEIR LEGS AND THEY’RE
ABLE TO ICE SKATE AND PLAY BALL
AND DO ALL THE THINGS THAT KIDS
DO.
>> MARLO, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THESE
STORIES.
IT’S JUST SO REMARKABLE AND
WE’RE SO HAPPY THAT THE GIRLS
ARE LIVING FANTASTIC TEENAGE