MILAN, Ohio — Teens are normally worried about school, friends, and what their weekend plans consist of, but for 14-year-old Bo Opperman, he has heavier concerns weighing on his mind.
It all started in September 2024.
Opperman's mom, Staci, told me he was injured while playing football. About a week later, what she and their doctor thought was fatty scar tissue popped up on his lower back.
"[The doctor] treated him with antibiotics and it got harder. The tumor got hard and black and blue, so she sent us to the general surgeon. He (the general surgeon) sent it out to be examined because he said it was something he's never seen before," Staci explained.
The results showed Opperman had Ewing Sarcoma.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Ewing Sarcoma is a group of bone or soft tissue cancers that affects children, teenagers and young adults. It often develops during puberty when bones are growing rapidly.
"It's rough," Staci said.
It's not a common form of cancer, per the Cleveland Clinic. Each year in the U.S., between 200 and 250 people are diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma.
"We're lucky on our end with his diagnosis. There's a lot of people out there worse than us, but it's still tough on everybody, tough on us, tough on our family, our friends, and we're lucky we have a good support system," Opperman's dad, Shawn, shared.
Opperman underwent a couple of surgeries, which thankfully removed the cancer from his body.
However, Opperman will now need to go through 14 rounds of intense chemotherapy over the next six months.
"I thought it was going to be fine because he (the doctor) said he removed it all, so I thought, OK, it's going to be fine, but then that next week when we had the checkup, then I realized I had to do chemo and then that kind of threw me for a spiral," Opperman told me on Monday.
Other than Opperman worrying that his hair may be gone by the time he graduates the eighth grade later this month, he and his family are also concerned for his future as a father, as chemotherapy is slated to render him infertile.
"We're a pretty open family. We can have those conversations, so we're fortunate that way, but there's a lot of things that go into it that you never think about. It's a bigger picture that you have to look into," Shawn said. "It worries you as a parent. It just does. You worry about his future, you worry how the chemo is going to affect him, especially with our family. I was the last Opperman, so if I hadn't had a son, our name is done. Now I have a son and I want him to pass the name on."
Shawn said that as a family, led by the ultimate decision of Opperman, decided to freeze his sperm.
"He was very adamant. 'Yes, I wanna do it.' He's great with kids. I'm a special needs aid and he is wonderful with my kids at school so I said OK, if you want to do it, we're going to do it," Staci said.
While the Opperman family initially thought insurance would not pay for the specimen freeze, Staci said their doctor gave them the good news on Monday that a portion of it will be covered.
But, it still leaves the family having to come up with thousands of dollars to cover the rest.
"It's $500 for each one and then we also have to pay $300 to $400 a year just to store it until he's ready," Staci explained.
The family has created a GoFundMe where all the proceeds will go towards the specimen freeze.
Not only is the Opperman family sharing their story in hopes of raising enough money for the process of freezing and storing specimens, but also to raise awareness of Ewing Sarcoma.
"According to his doctor, it is very rare. Doctor Egler has been doing it for years and she said that he (Opperman) is the only third case of his specific cancer. I just want people to be aware that if a tumor pops up, please go get it checked because you never know," Staci said. "The cancer's out there. We did catch this early. I worry about the parents that we almost were."
Shawn added, "We have a long road. We are more fortunate than a lot of families that have kids with cancer. Take the time. Take the time to take the kid in. That's my message."
Opperman starts chemotherapy on Tuesday. He'll also undergo a second round in the process of freezing his sperm.
"I have to push through it, get through it," he told me.
Opperman said he's ready, though. With the support of so many, he feels able to keep going.
"I'm very appreciative that everybody is supporting me and loving me. This just makes me so happy," Opperman shared.
If you're in need of resources to help support you or your family during your child's cancer diagnosis/treatment, the Ohio Department of Health has plenty. CLICK HERE for more information.
