It doesn’t take very much time spent with Alaina to realize that she is hilarious. She is a joker who radiates positivity and has a sunny disposition despite going through a very difficult year.
Alaina started having severe knee pain early in the summer. Within a few days, it hurt so bad that she couldn’t walk. Her parents took her to the emergency room, where soon she was diagnosed with a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. The treatment plan consisted of eight rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by amputation, and then eight more rounds of chemo to prevent the cancer from returning.
The amputation Alaina had is called rotationplasty – a unique surgery where the knee is removed and the ankle is rotated and reattached to the thigh to serve as a knee. Once fitted with a prosthetic, this new “knee” offers the broadest range of motion. During the operation, surgeons removed most of her femur but were able to save the tibia, and most importantly, they removed the entire tumor.
Alaina’s mom, Mary, recently shared, “So far in our cancer journey, we have had hard times and good times. We have had good days and days where we have slept all day. Days we have met some amazing people and days when we have learned so much. We have laughed, we have cried, we have even asked why. But we know with God’s help that she will ring that bell!”
Alaina has such a positive attitude and is determined to walk as soon as possible. There are milestones of flexibility she has to reach to get her prosthetic. Although physical therapy is grueling, Alaina is working hard and is far ahead of schedule. She wants to get out of her wheelchair and learn to walk with a prosthetic.
In the meantime, she works on pranks to play on people. Her newest party trick is to bring her foot to her mouth – she says that surprises everyone the first time. She also loves showing people her scar and creates stories about how she got it. Sometimes, she will say she was the victim of a shark attack or that she’s a pirate. With Halloween coming up, none of her family or friends would be surprised to see her dress up like a pirate. But with her sunny demeanor, she will likely be the smiliest pirate to roam the seven seas!
