KINGSTON, Jamaica--Christmas has come early for little Rusheka Goodhall, a six-year-old amputee who lost a leg to a rare form of cancer at the age of just three.
Rusheka left Jamaica last week to receive her first prosthesis, which will be donated and fitted by Limb Lab, an American-based prosthetics and orthotics company.
The Jamaica Observer reports that at three-years-old Rusheka was diagnosed with stage three rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare cancer of the muscle, in which a tumour attaches to the bone, either in the head, neck, urogenital tract, arms or legs.
Her doctor Michelle Reece-Mills, paediatric oncologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies, explained that when her cancer was discovered, there was evidence that it had spread to the abdomen, hence being categorised stage three.
The little girl subsequently underwent an above-the-knee amputation.
Her mother Shecker Anderson expressed gratitude to the local entities that assisted in making the fitting of the prosthesis possible: the Angels of Love Foundation, which purchased their tickets and Sagicor Jamaica, which named Rusheka a beneficiary of the company’s annual SIGMA Run.
Limb Lab, in addition to donating the prosthesis, will cover the accommodation cost for both Anderson and Rusheka.
Daniel Tellijohn, founder and certified prosthetist at Limb Lab told the Sunday Observer that he was moved to help Rusheka earlier this year when his company was planning a trip to assist amputees in Jamaica.
“While planning our trip down in March 2016, I was doing research on Jamaica and prosthetic care and ran across a story on Rusheka. I reached out and offered to provide care for her at that time, but the timing and distance of the trip didn’t work for her family,” Tellijohn said.
“We stayed in touch after our visit and now she is coming to Minnesota. With her coming to our facility we feel she will have a better outcome, since we will have access to all of our own equipment.”
Noting that Rusheka is an above-knee amputee, Tellijohn explained the procedure she will undergo on arrival.
“We will first take a cast of her residual limb. [Then we will – Ed.] use that cast to create a diagnostic socket to get the right fit. We will really focus on the physical therapy and make sure she has a lot of training on how to use her prosthesis.
“Once we are positive the fit is correct, we will make a duplicate of the initial socket and make a final product that will be much lighter and stronger.”
While this visit will last roughly two weeks, Tellijohn pointed out that the company “would be happy to continue helping Rusheka” even after this appointment.
Tellijohn indicated that Limb Lab will, in addition, assist approximately 20 Jamaicans by year-end.
Meanwhile, Rusheka told the Jamaica Observer that in addition to the limb she will receive, for which she is grateful, she would like a “pretty dress, spike-heel shoes, a bangle and some big earrings” this Christmas to go with her new leg. ~ Caribbean360 ~
