A CWMBRAN teenager is keen to get on with her life after opting to have her leg amputated above the knee.
It follows a battle with a condition which caused thousands of benign tumours to grow along her nerves.
Tia Leigh was born with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
But on July 8, the 13-year-old, from Northville, took the brave decision to have the amputation - the only option to eradicate the cancer.
And on Thursday, she went into Croesyceiliog School to catch up with her form class.
Her aunty, Rachael Leigh, said Tia was keen to get back to normal as soon as possible.
She said: “We are so proud of Tia. We’re all in bits over it and she’s so positive and brave.”
She set up a GoFundMe page to buy Tia a power-assisted wheelchair costing £5,000 and raised £2,260 in one day.
The fund has now reached £8,874 online, and surplus funds will go towards a prosthetic leg.
She added: “Any donation big or small will help towards getting Tia the things that she needs.”
When Tia was 15 months old she went blind in her right eye due to a tumour called optic nerve glioma growing on her optic nerve.
This is a common symptom of NF1 and needs careful monitoring by MRI scans and regular eye tests.
At aged nine, another tumour grew on Tia’s left optic nerve, which she has three monthly eye checks and MRI scans for.
Luckily, her left eye sight has not been affected. But the treatment if her eye sight does change would be chemotherapy.
NF1 also affected Tia’s right leg most seriously though, and she has had three operations in seven years to correct a 7cm leg length discrepancy, which works for a short time before the staples need to be replaced.
The brave youngster has thousands of benign tumours in total, in her leg, buttocks and pelvis. These cause swelling and enlargement.
One of the tumours turned malignant and this was removed in a 10cm mass from her right leg and buttocks in November 2014.
But she was dealt another big blow when the cancer returned, this time on her tibial nerve, just behind her right knee, and this was why she took the decision to have her leg amputated.
Her family are also hosting a fun day at the Six in Hand Pub, Croesyceiliog, on September 5.
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/ymarug
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