Take your advocacy further.
Our Ambassador Program is for patients, survivors, caregivers, and supporters who want to go beyond simply supporting the Foundation and take an active role in helping move our mission forward. Through their voices, stories, and personal platforms, Ambassadors help raise awareness, grow research and funding, amplify the patient voice, and stand alongside families affected by synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer that too few doctors recognize on sight.
Voices of SSF
Our Ambassadors
Click on their profile to learn more about them.
Despite everything they’ve carried, these Ambassadors are committed to giving back to a community that needs a stronger voice. They understand that creating change takes more than individual stories- it takes people willing to speak up, raise awareness, connect others to resources, and help drive research and funding forward.
Through their voices, networks, personal platforms, and lived experiences, our Ambassadors help strengthen the Foundation’s mission and create greater visibility for synovial sarcoma. Together, they’re helping build a stronger, more connected community, and working toward a future where no one facing synovial sarcoma feels like they’re navigating it alone.
Jonathan
Diagnosis Age: 8, Primary tumor location: arm
Jonathan was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in October 2025 after years of living with what he called his “hurting arm.” Despite being seen by multiple doctors and orthopedic specialists, his pain was repeatedly dismissed as “growing pains.” It wasn’t until his forearm began to visibly swell that his family finally received answers – a reminder of how easily synovial sarcoma can be overlooked, even when a child and their family know something isn’t right.
Jonathan began AIM chemotherapy on Halloween 2025, followed by 25 proton therapy sessions and surgery to remove his primary tumor in January 2026. He went on to complete four additional rounds of chemotherapy, finishing his primary treatment in March. His tumor responded dramatically to treatment, shrinking to approximately 45% of its original size, allowing his surgical team to achieve clear margins despite the tumor being close to critical nerves and arteries.
Throughout treatment, Jonathan showed incredible strength. While much of his third-grade year was spent homebound, his VR headset and iPad became a lifeline — helping him stay connected with friends and kids around the world. Outside of treatment, Jonathan loves gaming, swimming, going to the movies, and watching Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter with his mom. Most of all, he loves making people laugh and is known for his optimism and incredible warrior spirit.
Jonathan’s lung nodules, which were present at diagnosis and suspected to be metastatic, have remained stable and continue to be closely monitored. He now undergoes scans and blood testing every three months, and his family remains hopeful about what the future holds.
Jonathan’s message to other synovial sarcoma warriors is one of hope, laughter, and perseverance: take things one day at a time, never give up, seek second and third opinions, and remember that you never have to face this disease alone.
We’re honored to have Jonathan’s courage, positivity, and voice represented within our Ambassador Program. Please join us in welcoming Jonathan to the SSF family!
Jonathan may be young, but his message is one we can all learn from: keep fighting, keep laughing, and never lose hope.
Eldiara Doucette
Diagnosis Age: 19 Primary tumor location: arm
At just 19 years old, Eldiara’s synovial sarcoma was discovered unexpectedly during surgery for what doctors believed was a benign nerve tumor in her right elbow. Before her diagnosis, she had been living with severe pain for years and struggled to find a doctor who would take her symptoms seriously, with her concerns being dismissed as anxiety.
Unfortunately, this is a story far too familiar to many in the synovial sarcoma community. Rare cancers are often mistaken for something less serious, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Since her diagnosis, Eldiara has faced radiation, multiple surgeries, two rounds of chemotherapy, two recurrences, limb-salvage surgery, and ultimately an above-the-elbow amputation when her cancer returned in multiple areas of her arm. Today, she is NED and using her experience to advocate for others.
Through her online platforms, Eldiara shares her cancer journey and everyday life as a young amputee, with a passion for raising awareness about young adult cancer, encouraging others to listen to their bodies, and normalizing disability.
We’re incredibly grateful to have Eldiara’s voice, experience, and perspective represented within our Ambassador Program. Please join us in welcoming Eldiara to the SSF family! 💗
Want to follow along with Eldiara’s journey? Follow her on Instagram at @semibionicbarbie and support her as she continues to use her story to educate, inspire, and advocate for others.
Tessa Holyoak
Diagnosis Age: 28, Primary tumor location: lung
Tessa’s journey began with chronic chest pain throughout 2023 that was initially diagnosed as costochondritis. Even after multiple ER visits, EKGs, and chest X-rays showed nothing, Tessa continued to advocate for herself. During a fourth evaluation in February 2024, a CT scan finally revealed a tumor in her chest. She was told, “You’re too young to have cancer.” Four weeks later, after additional testing at Mayo Clinic, Tessa received her synovial sarcoma diagnosis.
She went on to complete five rounds of AIM chemotherapy, enduring multiple hospitalizations and blood transfusions, before undergoing surgery at Huntsman Cancer Institute in July 2024 to remove the tumor, which was approximately 98% dead when removed.
Tessa was NED until July 2025, when four nodules were discovered in her left lung. She underwent seven rounds of trabectedin before learning she was eligible for Tecelra. After completing the necessary testing and leukapheresis, Tessa traveled to California for her five-week Tecelra treatment at City of Hope in spring 2026.
Her June 2026 PET scan brought encouraging news: three remaining lung nodules were approximately half the size they had been before treatment. Tessa is currently in remission from treatment and will have her next scan in September.
Beyond cancer, Tessa is a wife, mum, and clinical social worker who loves spending time outdoors with her family — from hiking and snowboarding to paddleboarding, rock climbing, skateboarding, and simply making memories together.
Through her experience, Tessa hopes to remind others that cancer is not your fault, that you don’t have to carry shame or fear alone, and that it’s okay to ask for help. Her message is to focus on what you can control, spend time doing what you love, and give yourself permission to live in the present.
We’re incredibly grateful to have Tessa’s voice, perspective, and experience represented within our Ambassador Program. Please join us in welcoming Tessa to the SSF family! 💗
Want to follow along with Tessa’s journey? Follow her on Instagram at @tesscan and join her as she shares her experience, advocacy, and life beyond synovial sarcoma.
Kaela Graham-Bowman
Diagnosis Age: 28, Primary tumor location: leg
In January 2020, Kaela’s life changed when she was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in her right thigh. What she initially thought was a sports injury became a six-year journey through chemotherapy, long hospital stays, and seven surgeries after her cancer later returned with bilateral lung metastases.
As an Army veteran and Registered Nurse working in Oncology and Emergency, Kaela has experienced cancer from a unique perspective — both as a healthcare professional and as a patient. Her journey has taken her across the world in search of treatment and hope, including traveling to New York to access Tecelra with the support of government funding from Australia.
Throughout her journey, Kaela has used her voice to advocate for herself and others, sharing the realities of living with a rare cancer while raising awareness for the sarcoma community. As a mum to two children, she also understands the profound impact cancer has on an entire family.
Kaela recently received the heartbreaking news that her cancer has progressed and she is now receiving palliative care. Despite everything she has faced, she continues to share her story, advocate for others, and remind our community of the importance of speaking up and fighting to be heard.
Her advice to fellow patients is simple but powerful: Advocate for yourself. Get second or third opinions.
We’re honored to have Kaela’s voice and perspective represented within our Ambassador Program, and we hope you’ll join us in welcoming and supporting her. 💗
You can follow along with Kaela’s story and advocacy on Instagram at @sorareity. To learn more about her journey and how you can support Kaela and her family during this difficult time, follow along with her story.
Four Ways to Get Involved
Patient & Survivor
For anyone diagnosed with synovial sarcoma. Turn your experience into action by using your voice, platform, and network to raise awareness, strengthen our community, support Foundation initiatives, encourage patient participation in research, and help drive research and funding forward.
Caregiver & Family
For the people who showed up every day- in waiting rooms, late nights, and every moment in between. Use your voice and platform to raise awareness, encourage funding for research, share trusted resources, and support families navigating synovial sarcoma.
Legacy
For those who have lost someone to synovial sarcoma and are ready to make their legacy part of the fight. Use your voice and platform to raise awareness, drive funding for research, and help move the Foundation’s mission forward- so fewer families face the loss you’ve experienced.
Community
For those committed to carrying the mission beyond our walls. Become a local voice for synovial sarcoma, build awareness in your community, create meaningful opportunities to engage others, and help grow the movement for research, resources, and change.
What's Involved
Low-pressure, by design
✔ Share foundation posts and fundraisers
✔ Register with the CHOP Biorepository, if eligible
✔ Submit a story, photo, or video, on your timeline
✔ Join virtual ambassador meetings
What You Receive
Support goes both ways
✔ A welcome kit and social media toolkit
✔ Recognition on our site, social, and newsletter
✔ Invitations to advocacy and speaking opportunities
✔ A community that gets it
Ready to put your story to work?
Every ambassador started as someone who wished they’d known this community existed sooner.
Submit your patient profile and we’ll get in touch.