Alyssa was faced with an unthinkable decision -- her leg or her life.
When one of her boots felt tighter than the other, Alyssa went to the doctor and they first believed it was just an internal bruise. When the problem persisted, she had an MRI they discovered a tumor in her leg. Doctors initially thought the tumor could be treated with chemotherapy. She underwent 6 rounds of treatment, but her doctors were concerned about where the tumor was in her and leg and told her that unless she amputated her leg she could lose her life as they worried that the cancer could return.
"I made the choice to save my life and I amputated my leg," she tells The Doctors just two weeks after the life-changing surgery. "I am cancer-free and I could not be more excited about it. That's the best news anyone with cancer can hear."
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She says that despite having lost her leg, she now has a great deal of hope for her future. "There's hope for kids. There's hope for marriage. There's hope for maybe grad school. There's hope for life," she says.
Looking back she tells The Doctors that she feels "100 percent" that she made the right decision to amputate her leg. "I would have always had the concern... if the cancer was completely out? Is there still a chance that this is going to come back and if it comes back, is it going to come back worse? Is it going to try and kill me again?" she explains.
Alyssa's mom Laura, quit her job and sold her house in order to care for her daughter and to help pay for Alyssa to harvest her eggs in hopes of starting a family at some point. "That's what you do as a parent because your kids come first.," she says.
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Alyssa, who is only 23, explains that being a young amputee is rare and she found it difficult to connect with others amputees and cancer survivors. She started the Facebook page, Whenlifegivesyoucancer, in hopes of helping others facing similar health concerns.
In order to make Alyssa's life better, our friends at Step Ahead Prosthetics have offered to create a one-of-a-kind prosthesis, at no cost to her. Also, Extended Stay America has offered to cover her travel and lodging. Additionally, our friends at Palace Resorts and The Points Guy surprise Alyssa and her mom with an amazing vacation to Jamaica!
