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Just three weeks after their wedding in 2007, newlyweds Dan and Melanie Hedlund were in for some startling news—Dan had osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
“It was pretty shocking,” Dan says. “We were still in the honeymoon phase and excited about starting our lives together. We didn’t know what to expect.”
A second opinion brought Dan to Huntsman Cancer Institute. “I feel comfortable putting my life in the hands of these doctors any day of the week,” he says. “They’re not just good at what they do, they’re passionate about what they do.”
Because of his age and strong overall health, Dan’s physicians chose an aggressive treatment regimen. Dan says it was rough, but he accepted the challenge. “They weren’t trying to extend my life by a couple of years, they were trying to cure me. Because I was so young, we didn’t have to be conservative with the approach to my treatment.”
“Even if I only had a one percent chance, somebody has to be that one percent. Why not me?”
Dan underwent surgery and chemotherapy and responded well. He maintained an optimistic outlook throughout.
“I haven’t been that worried cancer would take my life,” he said in an interview a few years after his diagnosis. “I’ve tried to get busy living. Even if I only had a one percent chance, somebody has to be that one percent. Why not me?”
The aggressive treatment regimen worked. Dan had his last surgery in 2012 and has been cancer-free ever since. In 2013, Dan and Melanie welcomed a baby boy into their lives. His name is Noah Randall—Randall in honor of Dan’s doctor at Huntsman Cancer Institute. He and his wife also have twin boys born in 2016 and a little girl born in 2019.
“I feel comfortable putting my life in the hands of these doctors any day of the week.”
Looking back on his experience, Dan says he recognizes how cancer has affected him in a positive way.
“It’s not a road I would have elected to go down, but seeing how the hand of God has guided our path has given me vision and understanding. This road is ultimately what was best for me.”