Almost 22 years ago, Jessica Quinn was playing outside with her sister, showing off her impressive balance and agility skills. But, when she slipped off a soccer ball and crashed to the ground, she snapped her femur bone, leaving doctors puzzled when months later, the break refused to heal.
Jessica, who was eight at the time, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and to save her life, doctors amputated her leg and performed a surgery which was a first for New Zealand.
Keep reading to find out more about this inspirational young woman who today is running, swimming, dancing, and a soon-to-be mom!
New Zealand’s Jessica Quinn was only eight when she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer and had her leg amputated in a life-saving surgery.
An active child, Jessica – who’s now an equally active 30-year-old– explained that she was playing outside, boasting her athletic talents, when her journey with cancer started.
“I was outside playing with my sister, and I decided to stand on a soccer ball just trying to balance and show off a little bit, but I fell off and snapped my femur bone.” She continued, “I got rushed into hospital and they did surgery and tried to heal the break. They spent about three or four months trying to heal the bone, like they normally would, without realizing why it had broken in the first place.”
Months later, showing no progression, the child–who was in excruciating pain–was sent for more tests to determine why her body denied her bones from healing.
Doctors discovered the cause was osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that often develops in the cells that form bones…CONTINUE READING