By Joe Kirkendall, Times-Union staff writer

In January 2004, doctors diagnosed Audry Neeley, 16, South Whitley, with a malignant tumor in the area of her femur.

After additional testing, Riley Children's Hospital, Indianapolis, discovered Neeley suffered from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer most commonly found in children and young adults, which begins inside the bone structure and spreads elsewhere in the body. Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer, and the sixth most common type to affect children.

Neeley soon underwent chemotherapy and eventually opted to have her femur removed and replaced with a titanium implant. After additional months of chemotherapy, in December 2004, doctors at Riley Hospital declared Neeley's condition to be in remission.

Two months later, Neeley was readmitted to the hospital complaining of extreme back pain. Tumors were discovered developing in her spine and skull. Doctors successfully removed the majority of the tumor in her skull, but were unable to operate in and around the area of Neeley's spine. An aggressive chemotherapy was chosen by Neeley, and multiple rounds of treatment appeared to shrink the tumor away from the spinal cord. One of Neeley's vertebrae recently collapsed and doctors performed operations to secure the spinal chord, and placed Neeley in a supportive back brace. Doctors at Riley hope to reconstruct the spinal chord in the near future.

Chris Neeley, Audry's father, said, "She's done remarkably well in her situation; we try to set manageable goals for her. Right now we're hoping to get her out of her back brace and comfortable." Any improvement is wonderful at this stage, and Audry is keeping a good perspective."

The Neeley family is hoping for a second claim of remission for Audry and is thankful for the progress she has made in her struggle with the disease.

"We don't worry about anything else. We only support our kid. Anybody who has been willing to help are allowed to. Even the smallest things are accepted by the family. We know that people just want to help, and we know we would want to do the same thing, so we allow them to help where they can," Chris Neeley said.

When doctors discovered her condition, they stated there was little that could be done for Neeley's well being. Now, Riley hospital is optimistic about the possibilities of surgeries and other medical procedures that could lead to Neeley's recovery. The Neeley family is working with Riley Hospital for Children and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Neeley falls into the age group of 14-25, which is the least researched area in the cancer field. Many of Neeley's tests and operations are new to the medical field of osteosarcoma.

The Audry Neeley Benefit Fund has been established to help the Neeley family financially through these hard times. Donations can be made in person to Lake City Bank, or mailed to: The Audry Neeley Benefit, 202 E. Center St., Warsaw, IN 46580.

A Nelson's Golden Glo chicken barbecue will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Wal-Mart parking lot, Ind. 15N, Warsaw. All proceeds will go toward Audry's expenses. [[In-content Ad]]