Soft-tissue Cancer—
When the going gets tough

"Patients like Augusto keep us in our research labs, looking for cures."
— Timothy Damron, MD, David G. Murray, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Playing soccer at LeMoyne College, Augusto was known for his competitive attitude. His game has changed since then, but not his attitude. Augusto now faces paralympic competition with the same intensity he brings to his seven-year battle with cancer: he is determined to win.

Today, Augusto competes internationally in paralympic curling—which he likens to chess on ice—and locally in wheelchair basketball and races like the Mountain Goat and Boiler Maker. In 2000, at age 27, Augusto was diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma in his left leg. After two surgeries to remove tumors, chemotherapy and multiple rounds of radiation, Augusto and his team (his wife Brenda and his surgeon, University Hospital's Dr. Timothy Damron) decided the leg should be amputated to reduce the risk of the cancer spreading.

Dr. Damron is CNY’s only orthopedic oncologist – and nationally recognized for his research into soft-tissue cancers.

On the day of the amputation, Augusto insisted on walking into the operating room. "It’s the last time I'’m going to use this leg," he told the Post Standard. "'’m going to lose it on my own terms."

Since then, Augusto has become the father of twins and competed in the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin, Italy. Next he expects to compete at the 2008 World Curling Championships in Switzerland.

He knows he’s been fortunate to have the support of the Utica Curling Club and the adaptive sports program at Sitrin, a medical rehabilitation center in New Hartford. He's even more indebted to Dr. Damron, who has been his cheerleader since before he walked into the O.R.