Peter Skelton was a young man in his prime.  He had a contagious laugh and a zest for life.  On July 9, 2003, at the age of 36, doctors found a tumor. He had surgery in August, was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, and was admitted to Johns Hopkins in late September.  He passed away on November 2.  Pete’s valiant battle, from diagnosis to death, lasted a little less than four months.

That was a very short time – four  months – to comprehend that he had a malignant cancer, find a specialist for this relatively unknown disease, and just simply hope that some treatment existed to help.

When Pete learned he had soft tissue sarcoma, he sought treatment from Johns Hopkins Professor of Oncology and sarcoma specialist, Dr. David Ettinger. Although the best treatments and therapies available were attempted, they could not prevent the aggressive course of the disease.  Peter was suffering from pPNET (a type of Ewing’s sarcoma, peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor, rare). He left behind a wife, 4-year-old son, mother, brother, five sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

The Peter Skelton Sarcoma Research Foundation was founded by Pete’s brother and sisters in memory of Peter.  Their wish, as his would be, is to help others fight sarcoma cancer.