Xander Bickers, a 14-year-old Brookhaven three-sport athlete, is undergoing chemotherapy for aggressive bone cancer that doctors initially mistook for a basketball injury.

Xander's knee pain after a basketball game would not go away. Doctors eventually discovered osteosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that had taken root in his bone, WSB-TV first reported on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The diagnosis stunned the family.

"It was a big shock to us both, but I have to give it to him. He handled it better than I did," Xander's father, Danny Bickers, told WSB-TV.

Surgeons at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta removed the tumor and replaced his knee and about eight inches of bone with a prosthetic. The center, located at Arthur M. Blank Hospital, is ranked No. 13 nationally for pediatric cancer on the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report list and treats roughly 10,000 children each year.

Dr. Katie Sutton, one of Xander's physicians at the center, said osteosarcoma often follows a pattern of misdiagnosis. Patients present with pain, get sent to physical therapy, and only when the pain persists do doctors order imaging that reveals the cancer.

Now a high school freshman, Xander is balancing chemotherapy with school band and keeping his sights on one goal: getting back on the basketball court. He said he wants to return to sports because they are one of his favorite things.

Danny Bickers said the family feels fortunate the cancer was caught relatively quickly and that they were directed to the right facility. His message to other families facing pediatric cancer diagnoses is simple: keep your faith.

The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center sees about 500 new pediatric cancer patients each year. Researchers there are studying new osteosarcoma treatments, including combinations of immunotherapy, targeted agents, chemotherapy and radiation.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Xander's next milestone is finishing his chemotherapy regimen and, eventually, lacing up his basketball shoes again.