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a new leg for Jesse

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Im setting up this gofundme page for my 16 year old son Jesse to get a sturdy prosthesis leg and to help with his ongoing physiotherapy cost. I was wishing i wouldn't have to ask for any help but its come to a point where i need to as im unable to pay for it myself. Jesse had his leg amputated on the 27th april 2016 ( so about 3 weeks ago) This was due to the on going problems  his had since being diagnosed with osteosarcoma (  a type of bone cancer) when he was just 11yr's old. The cancer was first found in his left tibia by an xray ordered by the doctor, as Jesse was complaining of a sore leg for about 4 weeks. The first plan was to undergo 6 rounds of chemotherapy and then reconstruction surgery where an external fixation would be placed on jesses leg to regrow the bone that was taken out. With then another 12 rounds of chemotherapy to hopefully eliminate the spread or the chance of it coming back again. When they went in for surgery that day they found out the cancer had spread to his knee, they put the external fixtation on his leg but knew they would be having to order  A mega protheses to replace his bone and now his knee. When jesse woke from surgery he was screaming in pain not only was his leg sore with this massive external fixation on it but his other leg was hurting to , he wouldnt let any one touch it and the doctors and specialists were ordering scan after scan to find out why his other leg was in pain. Long story short after 2 days they came to the conclusion that somehow during surgery he got nerve damage in his other leg. This ment his now had one leg In a straight position unable to move it( in a external fixation )and the other one bent and unable to straighten it with nerve damage. It took us nearly 2 months before we were able to bring our boy home from the hospital.  After that surgery jesse now had no functioning legs and was unable to stand and yet  he still had another 5 months of chemotherapy  to go. A mega prostheses was ordered from america and the external fixation was replace within 2 months. Due to the chemotherapy and surgeries not going to plan and with all the setbacks it took its toll on jesse and his recovery was very long. When jesse had his last dose of chemotherapy  on march the 27th 2012  he was able to stand but unable to take a step or walk still. It took us another 2 long years  with intense and ongoing physiotherapy to get jesse to the point of walking again without any aids.  As most people are aware if you are lucky to survive this cancer the side affects and ongoing issues it causes are still in your life forever. Jesse has a range of side affects from the chemotherapy and cancer such as some hearing loss and irregular heart beat. The biggest hurdle has been once they removed the cancer and put in the megaprotheses they had to removed his growth plates and so his leg and foot would no longer grow. As the rest of his body grew  we did the best we could by building up the inside and outside his shoes. By the start of this year he had a  5cm wedge at the bottom of his shoe, and a 1.5cm insert inside his shoe.  The problems didnt stop there,  he coudn't walk far due to back pains and he was prone to falling as his leg would give way. By the time his surgeon was prepared to do any sort of fixing of this problem jesse had a 8.5 cm leg difference, and his bone scans and xrays were showing signs of lower back issues due to one side being longer than the other.  We were given two options one was to use external fixations to grow the bone which is not a nice procedure and takes 1 month to grow 1cm and means open wounds ( infection risk) and they could only do 3 cms per year till he stops growing and then amputationwould be later in life (in about 20yrs) or an amputation now. Jesse chose amputation now so he wouldnt have to have anymore painful surgeries and could adapt to life without one leg while his still young. This has been a long road for jesse both mentally and physically and finally we are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel and a strong future for my son but i really need your help to give my son the best start in his recovery. The money you donate will help with the cost of his new leg that the prosthetists has recommended to be sturdy enough for a 16yr old boy and wouldnt need replacing in the near future. Also i hope it will cover  travel to and from his physiotherapy appoinments so he is able to learn to walk again which will be 4 times aweek at wch as soon as he has his new leg. Please if you could help me and my family give jesse the best chance to be active again we would truly be greatful. Thank you
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Donations 

  • Sharon & Shane Hayes
    • $100 
    • 8 yrs
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Organiser

Tanya Heron
Organiser
Moana SA

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