UPMC's Dr. Kurt Weiss received grant for research on cancer he's experienced
Kurt Weiss was supposed to go mountain climbing with the Boy Scouts.
He never went.
Little did he realize that there was another uphill challenge in front of him.
Weiss’ right leg hurt so badly the day of that Boy Scouts’ adventure in 1989, his mother took him to the doctor. He was diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma, a cancer that starts in the bones.
Weiss, now a doctor for UPMC, was 15 years old at the time.
According to UPMC, osteosarcoma is rare, but it’s the most common form of cancer of the soft tissue and bone in kids and adolescents.
Weiss has dedicated his medical career to treating others with similar medical issues.
“My patients say they are having a horrible day, and I tell them I had some pretty bad days too,” Weiss said. “I tell them this won’t be easy, and that I understand. And then I show them my leg.”
Weiss had his right leg amputated above the knee.
There were complications from surgery and an infection from the removal of his right tibia and reconstruction with what’s called an “osteoarticular allograft.”
The operation was performed by the late Dr. Henry J. Mankin, who would become a mentor to Weiss, an osteosarcoma surgeon at UPMC Hillman and a researcher.
In his lab on Technology Drive in Oakland, Weiss looks to develop new treatments. His work was recognized by Making It Better Agents or MIB, a national nonprofit that funds research for osteosarcoma. The organization “is dedicated to ‘Making It Better’ for our community of patients, caregivers, doctors, and researchers through programs, education, and research.”
Members of MIB toured the musculoskeletal oncology laboratory which Weiss directs. They presented him with the Outsmarting Osteosarcoma Award, which includes a check for $100,000. Weiss was selected because of his commitment to determining how to decrease osteosarcoma from metastasizing.
MIB awards one grant a year.
The money provides hope, Weiss said.
Founder and executive director of MIB, Ann Graham, 43, was diagnosed in her 40s. The Vermont resident was training for a marathon when her left leg hurt. Doctors found a “massive tumor” on her left tibia.
“I saw so many young people go through treatment, and they were so courageous,” Graham said. “I wanted to do something to help them and others like them.”
Andrew Bisaga, 16, of St. John, Ind., attended the tour of Weiss’ lab. The teenager said the goal is to help others not have to endure what he did – including the immense pain he felt playing football. He is currently cancer-free.
“This journey is not easy,” Bisaga said. “When you are diagnosed that is something you can’t control. You feel powerless. Through MIB we find support.”
Ally Tamayose, 15, of Hawaii is undergoing treatment. She and her mom traveled to the lab and the teen said it helps to meet survivors. MIB invites young people to be junior board members. The organization hosts an annual conference where they invite families and provide a photographer to take photos. It might be the last photo that a family has with their loved one, Graham said.
“What an amazing organization,” said Karen Marsh, who grew up in New Stanton and lives in Delaware.
She and her husband Rob lost their daughter Victoria on July 22 to osteosarcoma.
Additional research can help develop more effective treatments and more long-term survivors, Weiss said. The money from MIB can help provide hope, Weiss said.
The toughest days for Weiss came during his junior year at the University of Notre Dame. He was scheduled for amputation surgery in January of 1996. His leg started hemorrhaging during finals week that December.
He is open about his medical history and often wears shorts and lively socks over his prosthesis, such as a pair with a red trolley from the children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
In 90% of cases the limb can be saved, Weiss said.
“My life is not perfect, but whose life is perfect?” said Weiss, a North Hills High School graduate who lives in Hampton.
Weiss said the late Dr. Freddie Fu was a “Pittsburgh treasure, and one of the best, not just in surgery but who always did the right thing for his patients.”
The patient first mentality is Weiss’ philosophy, he said as he walked into the meeting room with the MIB members, limping slightly. He said he can do anything, just a little differently. He hasn’t allowed a prosthetic leg to keep him from living.
He took a trip to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
Weiss continues to climb mountains.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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