“Will I Be Able to Continue Playing Sports?” Thirteen-Year-Old Faces the Realities of Amputation
In the summer of 2011, 13-year-old Larry Jackson, Jr. of Boothwynn, PA sprained his ankle while playing baseball. It seemed like just a minor injury, but soon afterwards the area around the ankle began to swell. At first his family attributed the puffiness to the sprain, but after a couple weeks of continued swelling they became more concerned and took him to see a podiatrist. After examining Larry, Jr. the doctor was equally concerned and referred him to Dr. Dormans, the chief of orthopedic surgery who specializes in spine and tumor cases. Dr. Dormans diagnosed him with Ewing sarcoma and within a month, he was admitted to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to undergo intensive chemotherapy treatments.