Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

12-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Opts For Unusual Surgery To Turn Her Ankle Into A Knee So She Can Still Dance šŸ˜®ā¤ļø

12-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Opts For Unusual Surgery To Turn Her Ankle Into A Knee So She Can Still Dance šŸ˜®ā¤ļø
@DCampbellN12/Twitter, @DrBeKnows/Twitter

Sometimes, the long-shot bet is the one that changes everything.


Twelve-year-old Delaney Unger of Long Island, New York has been an avid dancer since she was just a toddler. Unfortunately, in 2016, she and her family received "some terrifying news.

Delaney Unger's mother, Melissa Unger, told CNN that they were told, "that your child has a mass on her femur and you have an appointment that afternoon with a pediatric oncologist."

Delaney was diagnosed with a rare condition called osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer which would require both chemotherapy and amputation of her left leg above the knee. The illness itself was devastating enough on its own, but because the artificial knee replacements that most osteosarcoma patients receive are unstable in growing bones, limiting the patient's ability to perform intensive physical activity, Delaney's beloved dance career would be over.

However, her doctors at Stony Brook Hospital offered the family a potentially game-changing option: in a rare procedure called a rotationplasty, they could create a sort of makeshift knee replacement. The procedure involves removing the cancerous knee joint, rotating the remaining leg 180 degrees, and using the ankle as a knee joint. The foot faces backward, and a prosthetic leg fits over the foot. The toes provide vital sensory feedback to Delaney's brain that allow her to perform the various kicks and jumps required for the jazz, lyrical, and hip hop dances she loves so much.




Delaney's parents were hesitant about the drastic surgery, but their daughter's perspective changed their minds.

Her father Noah, told CNN, "She looked at Melissa and said, 'I would rather have a chance to try and fail then not have a chance at all.'" And it seems to have been precisely the right gamble.

Delaney has had to retrain her body and muscles, and there are still some dance moves she can't quite do. But the functionality the rotationplasty allows Delaney is exponentially more than a traditional amputation and prosthetic. And for a girl who said, "I just want to dance again, because I've never done anything else in my life except dance," that mobility has meant everything.

On social media, people were moved by the happy ending and inspired by Delaney's resilience:













Though Delaney's dance career is bright, she's set her sights on a different long-term goal. Inspired by her Stony Brook University doctors, she's decided to become a pediatric oncologist when she grows up. Seems likely she'll be an inspiration in that role too!

H/T CNN, ABC7

More from News

Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Lauren Boebert speaking to Alex Stein
Prime Time with Alex Stein/Blaze Media

Lauren Boebert Casts Doubt On Moon Landing During Wild Interview With Conspiracy Theorist

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized after she seemingly agreed with the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked in a wide-ranging interview with conservative conspiracy theorist Alex Stein.

The segment began with the duo casting doubt on nuclear weapons—Boebert even joked about needing "tin foil"—and moved into weirder territory when Stein praised Boebert for "vibing" with him on the topic of the moon landing. Conspiracy theorists have long alleged the moon landing was fabricated by NASA in what they claim was an elaborate hoax.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rosie O'Donnell; Oprah Winfrey
Simon Ackerman/Getty Images; Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah For Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding In Scathing Poem

Among the various celebrity hangers-on who attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren SƔnchez's Venice wedding, the one that seemed to generate the most controversy was Oprah Winfrey.

After all, a woman known for her progressive politics whose entire ethos is about teaching people how to be their best selves, attending the wedding of man who directly funded a fascist regime dismantling our country before our eyes doesn't exactly add up.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Murkowski
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Lisa Murkowski Slammed After Criticizing Massive Budget Bill She Just Voted For

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was slammed after she claimed that President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is "not there yet" despite casting the deciding vote to narrowly pass it before sending it back to the House.

In a marathon voting session, the Senate narrowly passed the legislation in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after three Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman listening to her boyfriend play guitar
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Things People Initially Found Attractive About Their Partner That Now Annoy Them

Being in a relationship can be wonderful, but it's not without its ups and downs.

In order for it to work, we have to allow it to grow and change over time rather than being locked forever into what it was when we first started dating our person.

Keep ReadingShow less