A 14-year-old girl from Florida underwent grueling surgery to amputate her 174-lb (78 kg) leg.
Jasmine Ramirez will spend Christmas in the hospital after doctors worked nearly 17 hours to amputate her left leg.
The surgery was successful, announced Ramirez’s sister, Anastashia Carrasquillo. Earlier this month, surgeons managed to remove 90% of the mass, which also affected the teen’s abdomen.
“My dad always told Jasmine if it came down to your life or your leg, we would choose your life, so they took the chance and thank God that it went well,” Carrasquillo said.
A 14-year-old girl from Florida underwent a nearly 17-hour surgery to remove her leg
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
Ramirez is now recovering at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she will celebrate the holidays—and the success of the hours-long operation—surrounded by her family.
Carrasquillo said her sister now faces a “long, rigorous” recovery, but she “will not be sad” on Christmas because she will have the support and encouragement of her loved ones.
Ramirez is already “getting stronger” after the operation, shared her sister, who set up a fundraiser for the 14-year-old.
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
Ramirez was diagnosed with a rare lymphomatous tumor that affected her leg when she was 2 years old.
Over the years, she underwent multiple surgeries as the tumor caused the limb to grow abnormally.
However, after a recent life-threatening infection, doctors determined that the risks would be too high if they didn’t amputate her leg.
Jasmine Ramirez has a rare condition that caused her left leg to grow abnormally
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
“She is so strong and we know the recovery will continue to go well,” Carrasquillo said.
“Still, the struggle of adapting to this new stage of her life is present.”
At the time of writing, the family has already raised $33,000 through the GoFundMe fundraiser out of their $40,000 goal.
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
Her recovery will require months of healing, physical therapy, medication, and full-time care. The teen’s parents must be present with her at the hospital around the clock during this process, Carrasquillo explained on the GoFundMe page.
Ramirez’s family has also created a Facebook page called “Jasmine’s Journey” to share updates on her recovery.
Her loved ones have launched a GoFundMe page to help cover essential expenses
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
Carrasquillo described her sister, the youngest of seven children, as strong, sassy, courageous, and sweet.
“No kid ever deserves this,” Ramirez’s older sister continued, “but she has challenges and she has pushed through and we want people to know the story of her strength and her courageousness and we also want her story to get out there.”
Donations will help cover gas, groceries and food, hospital bills, and other essential expenses.
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
“Thank you to everyone for your love, prayers, and support. Please continue to keep Jasmine in your thoughts as she fights to get better,” Carrasquillo wrote.
“She is such an amazing young lady who continues to grow and overcome the odds.”
Since her hospitalization, Ramirez has been visited by aunts, cousins, family friends, and even her school principal. She has also received cards, posters, and videos with well wishes from her classmates, who expressed how much they missed having her at school.
Lymphoma is a blood cancer with more than 70 subtypes
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
As a toddler, Ramirez was diagnosed with lymphoma after her family noticed her left leg started growing much faster than the rest of her body.
Eventually, her leg got so large that she had to use a wheelchair, and her family had to have her clothes tailored so they would fit.
Lymphoma is the general term for cancer in the lymphatic system, the network of tissues, vessels, and organs that help the body fight infection, the Cleveland Clinic explains.
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
The condition is considered a blood cancer because it starts in white blood cells, which transform into rapidly growing cancer cells.
According to the clinic, there are more than 70 subtypes of lymphoma, which can be aggressive (fast-growing) or indolent (slow-growing). When lymphoma develops, it causes lymph nodes to swell.
Lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancer in teenagers and young adults, accounting for about 1 in 5 cancer diagnoses in young people. Each year, there are approximately 2,000 cases diagnosed in children in the United States.
The teen was diagnosed with lymphoma at just 2 years old
Image credits: Jasmine’s Journey
Like most cancers, the majority of the genetic mutations that cause lymphoma happen spontaneously and cannot be attributed to a specific cause. However, some conditions or issues increase the risk of developing lymphoma, including HIV, a family history of lymphoma, and organ transplants.
Image credits: Anastashia Carrasquillo
Image credits: Jasmine’s Journey
The prognosis for lymphoma in the legs depends on several factors, such as the patient’s age, the stage of lymphoma at diagnosis, and how far the cancer has spread.
Ramirez’s older sister, Anastashia Carrasquillo, described the teenager as a “superhero”
Image credits: Jasmine’s Journey
“As her sister—and my other siblings that lived in that house—we knew it wasn’t normal, but we always tried to treat Jasmine as if she was a normal kid,” Carrasquillo said of her sister’s condition, adding that Ramirez’s lymphoma subtype was so rare that doctors didn’t know how to diagnose it at first.
“She’s a trooper. She’s a superhero, honestly. All that strength and courage it takes to do this — it takes a lot.”
“Amputation was likely a hard choice, but a good one,” one person commented
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