DJ Theorine is 8 years old, a third-grader who used to spend his days as an active kid at school — until a lump on his leg changed everything. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, on March 30 after doctors discovered a tumor following an X-ray. Now he splits his time between hospital rooms and his classroom, undergoing chemotherapy and recovering from surgeries whenever he gets the chance to feel like a kid again.
DJ's family first became concerned after noticing the lump on his leg, according to KSL.com. His mother, Megan Theorine, said the diagnosis shocked the entire family. Before cancer entered the picture, DJ was a healthy, active child and a former student of the year at Beehive Science and Technology Academy in Sandy, where he still returns to class when his treatment allows.
A Third-Grader's Resolve
Even while undergoing chemotherapy, DJ keeps up with schoolwork, saying he learns math between hospital stays. Asked about his cancer, DJ was direct about his intentions, telling KSL, “I'm going to fight it until it's totally done.” It's the kind of blunt determination that has become central to how his family and community describe him.
Osteosarcoma is rare by any measure. Roughly 1,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, and about half occur in children and adolescents, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease accounts for only about 2 to 3 percent of childhood cancers overall, and most cases occur in children, teens and young adults between ages 10 and 30, with teenagers the most affected group — making DJ's diagnosis at age 8 an outlier even within an already uncommon disease. The organization notes that outcomes depend on several factors, including where a tumor is located and whether the cancer has spread by the time it's found.
A Trail Run Turns Its Focus to DJ
DJ's specific cancer is a bone cancer on his fibula, according to the Bear Canyon Trail Run, the Sandy event that has made his family this year's cause. The organization notes DJ has completed his first round of chemotherapy but still faces surgery and more treatment ahead. The run takes place Oct. 10 in Sandy, and this year's event is rallying around DJ and his family, offering both financial support and encouragement for families confronting some of life's toughest challenges, per KSL.com's reporting.
John Maack, a cancer survivor and director of the annual Bear Canyon Trail Run, said children should not have to experience cancer at all. He added that participants make a difference with every mile they run. Direct donations to this year's recipient don't require race entry, and all auction proceeds go straight to DJ's family — no finish line required, per the event's own site. Since 2013, the Bear Canyon community has given more than $69,000 to individuals and families facing serious hardship, though the specific amount raised for DJ's family has not been disclosed.
A Wider Push for Sarcoma Research
DJ's case lands amid a broader, slow-moving story of progress against childhood bone cancer. Between 1975 and 2020, childhood cancer mortality fell by more than 50 percent, and the NCI reports that the five-year relative survival rate for osteosarcoma rose from 40 percent to 72 percent. Similar grassroots fundraising efforts have emerged elsewhere: the 17th annual Steps for Sarcoma event in Columbus, Ohio, brought together families, neighbors and patients supporting people and pets affected by the disease, as reported by ABC6 Columbus. That event has raised more than $2.2 million for sarcoma research since 2010 and helped seed a clinical trial backed by a federal PCORI grant exceeding $6 million, funds its organizers say will help reshape treatment for soft-tissue sarcoma patients worldwide.
Back in Sandy, the focus remains squarely on one third-grader and his family as they navigate what comes next. For now, DJ keeps showing up — to chemo, to surgery recovery, and to class at Beehive Science and Technology Academy whenever he's able — holding onto the same promise he gave KSL: that he intends to fight until his cancer is completely gone.
