Anya had been complaining that her leg was sore, but her parents thought it was growing pains and it wasn't interfering with her daily life. After the family contracted COVID, the symptoms worsened and she started limping. They realized one leg looked substantially larger than the other and called Mayah's grandfather who was a pediatric cardiologist at Boston Children's Hospital. He knew it was osteosarcoma and they went to the emergency room right away, where the diagnosis was confirmed in January 2022.
After the diagnosis, Anya had her first surgery and second surgeries to confirm the diagnosis and to place a central line in her chest. Anya and her mother, Jeni, cut their hair together in preparation for chemotherapy. Anya underwent six cycles of chemotherapy, each five weeks long.