Young Pennsylvania nail technician diagnosed with stage IV Ewing sarcoma after months of misdiagnosed hip pain

Brooke Bailey, a 23-year-old nail technician from Pennsylvania, began experiencing an 'aching, throbbing' left-hip pain after she started a job at a local salon in March. Doctors told her the discomfort was likely tendinitis from sitting so much and suggested it would improve with time. Bailey recalls the exchanges: 'The doctors had mentioned that it could be because of my job,' a perspective she says reflected the common diagnosis for a young person with a sedentary job and no obvious injury. As she tried to push through the pain, the reality of what was driving it remained uncertain, and she continued with standard care rather than pursuing a deeper investigation.

The pain intensified over the ensuing months, radiating down her leg and into her ankle, prompting more medical attention. Bailey was referred to physical therapy, but the pain worsened, leaving her unable to perform the recommended exercises. For seven additional months, she kept seeking opinions, with doctors repeatedly attributing the symptoms to noncancer causes linked to her posture and daily work routine. It wasn’t until October 2025 that a physician ordered an MRI scan that changed the course of her diagnosis: Bailey had two tumors, one in her femur and another in the groin region, and was diagnosed with stage four Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that originates in bone cells and the surrounding soft tissue. The MRI results also suggested that the cancer likely spread from the femur to the groin area.

Bailey is now undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and will be evaluated in January to determine whether surgery should be added to her treatment plan. She says the moment she learned of the cancer, a mix of fear and relief washed over her: 'I never thought in my mind that it was cancer, so it was scary, but I kind of felt relieved, too, because I was like,