Inspiring example: a girl with a prosthetic leg became a wonderful dancer
When Gaby Shull, a schoolgirl from Missouri, was only nine years old, doctors diagnosed her with a terrible diagnosis: osteogenic sarcoma — a malignant tumor whose cells originate from bone tissue and produce this tissue. Unfortunately, the lower part of Gabi's leg had to be amputated, and the doctors attached the foot and ankle to the hip. This decision allowed Gaby to start walking just a year later, and a year later to take up ballet. Gabi, who is now 14 years old, hopes that she will set a great example to everyone who finds themselves in difficult situations and inspire them to never give up.
Gabi first discovered that something was wrong after she fell while skating in January 2011. At first, the parents did not attach importance to the damage, but when two weeks later the girl did not feel better, the parents sounded the alarm and took their daughter to the hospital to get an X-ray. Initially, doctors assumed that the girl had just suffered a stress fracture, but after a while, when the MRI results were received, there was no doubt that Gabi had cancer.
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"We went to the doctor, and he told us that Gabi has cancer. Apparently, this is an osteogenic sarcoma. We were shocked. He had to repeat what he said several times because I couldn't believe it. I just didn't realize that my ears were hearing everything right. Gabi asked me then about why this happened to her. I said that sometimes even bad things happen to good people and no one knows why. But we have to do everything in our power to get through this," said Debbie, Gaby's mother.
Gabi underwent a 3-month course of chemotherapy to reduce the tumor to an operable size. The girl was offered different methods of treatment, but in the end, rotary plastic surgery was chosen. It is used when it is necessary to amputate the leg to the middle of the thigh, but at the same time the shin and foot, rotated 180 degrees, are combined with the femur, and the ankle joint becomes a new knee joint. Such a surgical intervention would allow Gaby to move easily.
"We talked about it with Gabi and started watching videos where children with rotational plastics rollerblade, do rock climbing and race through the waves on water skis," recalls Gabi's mother.
"We learned that there are no disadvantages to rotary plastic surgery, except how it looks, and if you can focus on the quality of life, and not on the visual side of the issue, you will achieve the goal and lose nothing. It was important for Gabi, as she loves to dance very much."
There are about 12 rotational plastic surgeries performed in the USA every year, so it cannot be said that this is a common surgical procedure.
"After my leg was amputated, the first thing I wanted was to get out of the hospital bed as soon as possible and learn to walk normally. I've always loved dancing, so I wanted to learn how to walk as fast as possible. It wasn't easy. It was very painful. It was difficult to make my new knee joint movable. It took me a year and several personal trainers to learn how to take steps without anyone's help. A year later, I was able to dance on stage," Gabi said.
"The rotary plastic surgery allowed me to realize that I can do much more than I imagine."
Now Gabi participates in dance competitions and inspires the coach and the rest of the dancers with her example. She also helps others with Truth 365, a social media campaign that enables children suffering from cancer to share their experiences.
Keywords: Illness | Girl | Leg | Surgery | Prosthesis | Cancer | Usa | Dancing | Perseverance