A 12-year-old girl from Pawleys Island with a malformation, voluntarily chose to have her leg amputated.
Kennedy Janco dealt with arteriovenous malformation, an abnormal connection between arteries and veins, for half of her life.
She says it started while playing sports and since then it has prevented her from reaching her full potential.
Since she was six, Janco would have to go to the hospital every few weeks to have surgeries on her leg.
“It just became a part of my life and I got pretty used to it,” she said.
Her leg would swell up and cause her pain.
She would have surgery and be fine for a few weeks, but then it would return.
That went on for years.
In September, a flare-up caused her to miss months of school and she was ready for a change.
“I got tired of not being able to walk, not being able to run, not being able to stay out of the hospital,” said Janco.
After some online research she did by herself, Janco made the decision that no 12-year-old should have to make; pursuing amputation.
A hard decision, but one her family supported.
“Knowing that she was comfortable with it made it that much easier for us,” said Kennedy’s mom, Nicole Janco.
The reason Kennedy says she had the surgery, and what she is looking forward to most, is getting back on the field.
“Softball; I never got to run as fast as the other people,” she said.
Signups are coming up and the season starts in a few weeks.
Kennedy has a long way to go in a short period of time.
“I’ll have to learn to use the sports prosthetic and learn how to like run the bases again and not trip and fall,” she said.
Her family will be there for her support.
“It’s going to be a lot of work. A lot of stuff she has to learn to do again, but she is determined and she will do it,” said her Father, Ed Janco.
Insurance does not cover the tens of thousands of dollars sports prosthetic could cost.
If you are interested in helping out you can fund Kennedy’s next step forward.
