EAST AMHERST, N.Y. — July is nationally recognized as Sarcoma Awareness Month.

Maria Thor felt something was off in August 2021. She was having issues going to the bathroom. Then she had her yearly physical in November.

“And I’m like 'Dr. Jen, I know something’s going on.' And my stomach started extending and, you know, I’m going to be 60 and I thought maybe it was, you know, the COVID," Thor said.

Maria went in for a sonogram the next day, and also had a CT scan. She was on her bicycle training for her next big ride when she got the call saying that she had a fatty mass in her abdomen.

"I felt like I almost fell off my bike. My heart hit the ground and my eyes welled. And it’s a call that I’ll never forget," Thor said. 

Maria was diagnosed with sarcoma, specifically leiomyosarcoma. Dr. John Kane is the chief of the sarcoma-melanoma service at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. He says sarcomas arise from the tissues like fat, nerves, bone, tendon and connective tissue.

“Because of that, they’re actually very rare. A lot of those tissues, the cells aren’t even dividing. You get the total number of muscle cells, and if you think about it, fat cells that you have, the day you’re born so because of that they’re not nearly as common as other cancers. There’s probably 13 ... 14,000 sarcomas in the United States," Kane, the Roswell Park chair of surgical oncology, said.

Because it’s rare, sarcomas can be misdiagnosed. Kane says there are about 70 different types of sarcomas. 

"That has always limited our ability to say 'there’s just one standard treatment' or 'this chemo will always work,' because they’re really different. I’d say on average about two-thirds of people with sarcoma will be cured but about one-third will not," Kane said. 

Maria had a total of seven rounds of chemo. After four rounds of chemo, she had a 10-hour surgery to remove the large tumor. She rang the bell marking the remission of her cancer on May 21. Now, almost two months later, she’s preparing for the Empire State Ride to raise money for cancer research.

"It’s a cause so very very close and dear to my heart. I want to help to end cancer. I still can’t believe I had cancer. I had to pinch myself sometimes. Do I still cry? Absolutely," Thor said.

Maria has been doing the Empire State Ride for the past five years. Every year she rides with something special, a list of names of people with cancer.

"And I put it on my heart and I ride from New York City to Niagara Falls in prayer, in thinking about all these people, why I'm riding for," Thor said.

She says it was hard to add her own name to the list but she looks forward to this year’s ride.

Kane reminds people that not every lump or bump is going to be a sarcoma, but in general, if you notice a growth larger than a golf ball, around 2 inches or larger, you should get a medical evaluation. He says if a growth is deeper in the body, it should also be checked out because statistically, the chances of it being a sarcoma go up. He adds that one-third of sarcomas arise on the legs, so if you notice anything on your leg you should also get it checked out.