Patient Stories: After receiving a prosthetic limb, nothing slows her down

Emily Prince is an active, outgoing, outspoken child full of self-confidence and motivation. Her parents became concerned when the 10-year-old developed a large knot under her kneecap after rollerskating. The knot couldn’t be explained by her activity, so they sought medical advice.

They saw an orthopedist and Prince underwent an MRI. Doctors were able to diagnose her with Ewing sarcoma, a cancer of bone and soft tissue that is seen most often in children and young adults. The knot that had caused her family concern was a tumor.

Hematologist-oncologist Laura Pirich, MD, decided on a treatment of intensive chemotherapy as well as surgery to remove her tumor. Ultimately, she required amputation of her lower leg.

“It took us a little while to accept,” said Tabitha Prince, Emily’s mom. “There was a great deal of sadness, but Emily handled it like a champ.”

Prince was fitted with a prosthetic limb and had to relearn how to walk and also build her strength and sense of balance. Once she felt comfortable with her prosthetic, Prince started walking… and she never looked back.

From her initial diagnosis through surgery, chemotherapy, ongoing physical therapy and working through the social and psychological ramifications of her journey with cancer, Prince has had the staff at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Center by her side.