Texas A&M student shares her battle with rare bone cancer, Aggies show support

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -Family, friends, and the Aggie community are showing their support for a Texas A&M University student battling adamantinoma, a rare bone cancer that grows in the lower leg and often starts as a lump in the calf or shinbone.

Katheryn Cook recently paused her time on the campus of Texas A&M after suffering a hit and run earlier in the year that she believes led to the medical complications. The 20-year-old aspiring forensic scientist was only in her first semester at Texas A&M before she withdrew after having her leg amputated.

Cook says she was struck by a vehicle on Texas Avenue in College Station while riding her bike shortly before Christmas last year and suffered what she thought were a few minor bruises. After being in pain she went to the doctor several months later only to discover that she had cancer.

“A truck decided to not stop at his stoplight- stop sign and decided to go forward, wasn’t paying attention, and swerved right into me,” Cook said. “Thankfully it was only bumps and scrapes but one of the bumps which are on my right shin never went away and it was kind of funny and I thought maybe it was a cyst or something.”

A longtime family friend heard about the challenges Cook is facing and started a GoFundMe page to help raise money to help reduce her medical and other expenses. This comes after Cook lost her job when the property management company she was working at laid off the majority of its employees.

“She’s had it hard,” said Dolores Miravet Hughen. " As you know she’s autistic. She’s just had all the obstacles. You know she had her bike stolen, there were some other things that happened and then this, you know the cancer in her leg.”

Cook says she is looking for a job but hasn’t had any luck. Despite the setbacks and challenges she says she knows something good will come from her situation.

“I don’t know what it is, it might be this or just my testimony to others,” said Cook. " You know I’m still moving forward. It’s not the end of the world. "

Cook plans to return to Texas A&M next semester after she finishes a series of doctor appointments related to her amputation. In the meantime, she’s spending her time perfecting her hobby of painting portraits and other artwork and hopes that she can make custom pieces to help earn income.

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