Writing her story helps Indiana teen process her emotions 

When Jinger Vincent, 17, was asked to write about her cancer experience as part of a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital study, she was a little nervous. The ChronCan study looks at how young people may be affected by writing about their cancer. But the teen gave it a try. 

“The whole writing process was emotional because I had never really looked back at my journey,” Jinger says. “But I’m just happy to get it out there and to bring awareness because my cancer story is not a common thing. When I got done writing it, it was kind of like a weight lifted off my shoulders.”  

Jinger’s cancer story began in November 2020 when she had bad pain in her left knee. A volleyball and softball player, she didn’t think much of it at first. But by February 2021, a large, hard bump had formed in her left thigh. Her dad thought it could be a knotted muscle. They tried over-the-counter medicines. Nothing worked. 

“There were times I could not even fall asleep, and I would be limping because of the pain,” Jinger says.  

Her parents took her to the emergency room at a hospital near their home in Indiana. Tests revealed she had a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. And the cancer had spread to her lungs. 

Jinger had a procedure called limb-sparing surgery at a hospital in Indianapolis. A surgeon took out the softball-sized tumor while preserving her leg. Jinger later had surgery to remove the cancer in her lungs. The lung cancer returned twice. After the third surgery, Jinger joined a clinical trial at St. Jude for a treatment for recurrent lung cancer. Her lung scans have been clear of cancer for about a year.  

Jinger continues to recover from limb-sparing surgery. She had to stop playing volleyball and softball because her leg is weaker than it was before. She now plays golf. She is enjoying her senior year in high school. She has a part-time job as a waitress. This summer she went to Camp Mak-A-Dream, a camp in Montana for cancer survivors.  

Jinger hopes to attend college and wants to pursue a career in the entertainment industry that combines her love of English and music. 

“I'm going out with friends more, enjoying the summer and not worrying, because I don't have as many doctor's appointments now,” Jinger says. “I'm going into my senior year of high school, so I'm just living my best life right now.”