About Clara

Clara's fight (in her own words)

Since my sophomore year of high school, I had been suffering from shoulder pain that appeared to be muscular in origin. Following this assumption, I was prescribed numerous sessions of physiotherapy and osteopathy, but without any improvement. It was not until my senior year of high school, on September 3, 2019, following an MRI and a CT scan, that the radiologist identified a mass, about the size of a golf ball, at the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra. It was a bone tumor that explained the chronic pain. A biopsy performed a few weeks later revealed that it was an osteoblastoma, which is a benign tumor. The anxiety temporarily subsided.

Nevertheless, the second biopsy, performed following the first surgery in December 2019 at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital, concluded that it was an osteoblastoma-like osteosarcoma. A malignant tumor, but one classified as a low-grade osteosarcoma. Unfortunately, this would prove not to be the case, as it was in fact a high-grade osteosarcoma. This conclusion would only be confirmed definitively after the second surgery, which was performed as an emergency in May 2020 in the context of an early recurrence.

What followed was a first course of chemotherapy at the Institut Curie in June, followed by a second course in July 2020. The results were highly disappointing, leading the medical team to change strategy and proceed with a course of 27 sessions of radiotherapy.

A third course of chemotherapy was started in September, before the surgery performed on October 20, 2020, which involved removing the three vertebrae affected by the tumor. Despite all the challenges involved in such a seven-hour operation, it was a success, and a fourth course of chemotherapy could then be administered.

Unfortunately, a few days later, the wound dehiscence forced the surgeons to perform a fourth operation, involving a skin graft and the relocation of the latissimus dorsi muscle to reinforce the scar, which had been severely weakened by the treatments.

Today, I am in remission and awaiting my fifth operation, which, hopefully, will be the last. The aim will be to reinforce the implant that replaced the vertebrae that were removed, using a bone autograft.

The chain of solidarity that my illness has brought about is simply incredible, and realizing it is deeply moving. There are no words to describe the dedication of all the hospital staff, and of course, to express my gratitude to the surgeons who operated on me.

They all deserve our deepest respect, and I have boundless gratitude for everything they have done. So please support them by making a donation to pediatric cancer research.

Her commitment to Imagine for Margo

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Her studies and her move to New York

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

“Reaching Cardozo’s LL.M. program was, in [Clara's] own words, the fulfillment of a long-deferred dream to study abroad and a victory she had fought years to claim. She arrived with a clear ambition to practice international law, a deep curiosity about the world, and a generosity of spirit that touched everyone fortunate enough to know her.”

Val Myteberi – Associate Dean of Graduate & International Programs

Cardozo Celebrates Class of 2026 at 48th Commencement

Clara in the media

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Crédit Photo @François Dugois – 2026