Stranger Things<\/em><\/a> actor Andrey Ivchenko<\/strong> received terrifying news that nobody wants to hear \u2013 he had a very rare form of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma and would need extensive surgery.<\/p>\n What began as \u201ca little hip pain\u201d was later diagnosed as a tumor \u201cthat was actually eating away the pelvis bone\u201d and resulted in the replacement of half of his pelvis with a 3D-printed, titanium prosthetic.<\/p>\n Now, as Andrey sees the light at the end of the tunnel of his grueling cancer battle, he exclusively tells Life & Style<\/em> that he wants to \u201cbring a special awareness<\/a>\u201d to the disease that he\u2019d never heard of before his diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cI found it to be a very empty, lonely preparation leading up to such a major surgery without being able to find a lot of information on what to expect or how to prepare for what\u2019s ahead,\u201d he explains. \u201cMore common cancers, like breast cancer<\/a> or prostate cancer, [have] so much information you can find online about it and so many people can share what helped their loved one get through it or feel better on a harder day. That isn\u2019t the case with chondrosarcoma of the pelvis.\u201d<\/p>\n This type of cancer only occurs in roughly 1 out of every 200,000 people and \u201chappens most often in the pelvis, hip and shoulder,\u201d according to the Mayo Clinic. Most chondrosarcomas also \u201cgrow slowly and may not cause many signs and symptoms at first.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrey was also told his diagnosis \u201cdoesn\u2019t typically respond to chemo or radiation,\u201d and instead, it would be necessary to completely surgically remove the cancerous area. But the Counterpart<\/em> actor found some relief after his girlfriend connected him with a man who had been through a similar health journey. He had chondroblastoma, which Andrey described as the \u201cnon-cancerous version of a chondrosarcoma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so comforting for something so drastic and scary to comprehend \u2026 to know that he came out the other end thriving, although his journey was nothing but tumultuous,\u201d he says. \u201cI held on to hope that I too one day could thrive again.\u201d<\/p>\n As for why he chose to share his story, despite being a \u201cvery quiet, private person\u201d who went through his battle \u201cbehind closed doors,\u201d he says that he felt the desire to help others who may be struggling with battling their own illness.<\/p>\n \u201cI want them to know that there is someone else that will be on the other side of this and live to speak about their experience and who will overcome this unthinkable situation,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n
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