Advice to kids with cancer: “You might be scared, or sick, but some day, you will be better. And you’ll do things you imagined you’d never do!” – Rachel, cancer survivor, age 10 Her full name is Rachel Ridge. “But you can call me Miss Awesomeness,” says the fifth-grader from Omaha, Nebraska, her face breaking into a grin. Her brown eyes peer out behind purple glasses – the ones with the peace signs. Rachel is wise beyond her fifth-grade education. An aching knee on July 7, 2013, led to a diagnosis of osteosarcoma – bone tumor. “I had a tumor in the growth plate under my knee and femur,” states Rachel, matter-of-factly. Rachel had chemo, got sick and lost all her hair. After 19 surgeries, she’s learned the medical lingo – like rotationplasty. “Basically, half my leg was amputated, they moved my foot up and turned it around,” said Rachel. Her ankle joint will become the knee joint for her new prosthetic. At Madonna, Rachel learned to stand, climb stairs and use a walker. “Madonna helps you, they push you to get better,” said Rachel, who rejoined her family – mom, dad and four brothers – on Friday. Shes back to being a kid again. Rachel describes herself as tough, encouraging and helpful. And oh yes, awesome - we couldnt agree more.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 04:12:26 +0000