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She heard a doctor on the other end say "the words that no parent wants to hear, that your child has a mass on his femur and that you have an appointment this afternoon with an oncologist pediatric, "said Unger.
Her future as a dancer seemed finished.
But this brave girl took an unusual course. Today, Delaney seems to show no signs of cancer. She keeps a contagious smile on her face and even resumed training as a lyric, hip-hop and jazz dancer – although she now has a left leg back.
A ray of hope
According to Khan, more than 90% of patients undergo massive knee replacement surgery, which in a growing child is unstable and limits the ability to do intensive activities such as dance or sports.
"His cancer was really knee and nowhere below the knee," said Khan. "His ankle, his foot, the lower part of his calf, all those muscles, nerves and even the ankle were completely intact."
Instead of an amputation above the knee, Khan said they cut below the knee and that "rather than throwing the right ankle, leg, foot and some muscles in the lower calf, we take ankle, calf, foot, and we use it to make a new knee. "
In other words, the ankle, turned 180 degrees, works like the new knee. His ankle is where his knee would be, since his leg was connected to his femur.
Doctors say that they keep their foot because the toes provide important sensory feedback to the brain.
Delaney's father, Noah Unger, said that he had been told that by having a natural knee joint, instead of a prosthetic joint, Delaney would be able to do the "jumps, jumps, jumps "which the dance needs.
"So, that's the reason for the rotation," he explained. "You use a natural seal in the direction where it is supposed to go."
Delaney would then have a whole foot where his old knee had been, pointing back. A lower leg prosthesis would fit on the back foot, giving it an artificial leg and foot.
"A chance to try and fail"
The family knew it would be a stunning sight, a foot facing the opposite. Mom Melissa was worried. After all, Delaney, who lives in Selden, New York, would soon be a teenager, going to parties, meeting people who will not know her story.
They discussed options in a family group, said Noah, until Delaney spoke.
"She looked at Melissa and said," I'd rather have a chance to try and fail so do not have luck at all, "Noah remembers." And this operation was the only chance she ever made. to do what she wanted to do. "
The 13-hour surgery was held at the Stony Brook Children's Hospital in New York City in April 2017, followed by chemotherapy and a prosthesis under her new knee – which the family affectionately dubbed the "Knankle".
Recovery was difficult. "She had to learn to flex and things like that in the opposite direction … so there is definitely a learning curve," Melissa said.
"You really have to reconnect your brain," Noah said.
But Delaney had one goal: to resume the dance and try for the school kickline team, something that she always wanted to do.
"I wanted to become normal again," she said. "I wanted to make sure I could do most of the things my friends were doing and that I could follow them."
An unforgettable moment
For Khan and Dr. Jason Ganz, another surgeon working for 13 hours, Delaney's spirit was a source of inspiration.
"I've never met anyone who had such a clear vision of what she needed," said Ganz, adding that Delaney was constantly smiling.
"Whenever she was in the hospital, every time I saw her, she had the same smile, which is amazing."
Delaney's positive attitude was an important part of his journey, they said, and helped his quick recovery.
"She breaks us all how fast she progresses with dancing and walking," Khan said. "We have videos of her walking and when she has pants, it's almost impossible to say that she underwent an operation to begin."
When doctors first saw videos of Delaney recovering and dancing later, they both choked.
"Literally, there were tears in both of our eyes," Khan said. "I'm so happy to see her released from her cancer, so happy to see her come back to the thing she wanted to do."
Ganz added, "I have a girl of her age – it was definitely a moment that will make my life a highlight: seeing her walking, seeing her smile, seeing her dancing." just amazing, I will never forget it. "
As for the future, "she has her whole life ahead of her," Melissa said. "We wanted to give her the best chance of being able to do as many things as she would like and not be limited.We really feel like we have made a good decision."
What would Delaney say to the other children who might be in his situation?
"What I would say to another teenager with cancer is to keep her personality," she said. "When I heard that I had cancer, I said" I want to be a source of inspiration and I did not stop smiling and doing what I always did.
"Do not say" I can not. "Try it, and if you can not do it then, it's fine, but if you've never tried it, you should do it.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the age of Delaney Unger. She is 12 years old.
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