Star high school athletes, Vivian Eagle, a 17-year-old junior from Avon, Indiana, and her friend Cade Thompson, 18, from Indianapolis, both faced an opponent much tougher than any they'd met on the sports fields: osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. The pair connected through their mothers, who recognized that their children needed someone who could relate to their struggle. The two became best friends, with Cade—who was diagnosed eighteen months before Vivian—providing invaluable support and understanding.
Vivian spent 80 nights in the hospital and underwent 32 chemo infusions, but with Cade's help, she made it through. Both Vivian and Cade are now NED, meaning no evidence of disease, with Vivian celebrating seven months cancer-free at her school's prom, which she attended with Cade, who‘s been cancer free for two years. Both still undergo regular scans to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned.
Treatment forced both teens to give up sports, but Cade, a high school senior, was able to return to his sports career and is planning a future in modeling and acting, and he wants to create a line of chemo-friendly clothing. Vivian has a longer road to get back to where she was pre-cancer, but her mom says the same stubbornness and determination that helped her in her battle against cancer will carry her through. Despite the hardships, the bond between Vivian and Cade has been a silver lining in their tragic story, a friendship that will "last forever," according to Vivian.
Source: USA Today