****** becomes first woman to survive being cut in half to beat 'untreatable' bone cancer
Premium Image Content
Upgrade to Premium to view all images in this thread
Janis Ollson had the lower half of her spine, her left leg, part of her pelvis and the tumour removed
A ****** of two has become the first person to survive being cut in half after being diagnosed with an 'untreatable' form of bone cancer.
Janis Ollson, 31, was pregnant with her second ***** when, having complained to her doctor of severe back pain, she was diagnosed with sarcoma - a form of bone cancer that cannot be treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
When her doctors discovered a tumour which they described as the biggest they had ever seen, Mrs Ollson was initially told by experts in Toronto, Canada, that there was nothing that could be done for her.
However, after a consultation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, surgeons suggested a ground-breaking procedure to remove the tumour, the lower half of her spine, her left leg and part of her pelvis - the first time the surgery had ever been attempted on a living human being.
Having agreed to undergo the drastic surgery, Mrs Ollson's ****** and friends proceeded to raise $20,000 to cover her ******'s travel and living expenses for the 52 days she spent at the clinic.
There was huge uncertainty over how successful the procedure would be though as well as her chances of survival.
The initial operation to remove the tumour and parts of her body took 20 hours, 12 specialists and 20 units of *****.
After a week's rest she underwent a second operation which took took eight hours and more than 240 staples to put her back together again.
The surgeon reassembled her by attaching the leg bone to her spine with pins and screws, close to her centre, which gave the procedure its name: the 'pogo stick' process.
Premium Image Content
Upgrade to Premium to view all images in this thread
Happy ******: Janis Ollson with her husband Daryl, ******** Braxtyn (left) and *** Leiland (back centre)
Three years later, after an intensive period of rehabilitation, Mrs Ollson says there is little that holds her back.
'Where we live, we use ATVs and snowmobiles,' she said.
'I use my ATV to take my ******** to school. There really isn't a whole lot that stops me.
'I don't like to be left out.'
Since her groundbreaking surgery, three other patients have had the operation and only one has survived, a young woman in Ohio who Mrs Ollson now mentors from afar.
The pair say they benefit from having someone to talk to who understands their daily reality.
'There was no one else like me until she came along,' said Mrs Ollson.
'It makes me proud to be a survivor and doing so well I can help others.'
After a huge schedule of rehabilitation, Mrs Ollson put her mobility to the test in May, walking down the aisle with her husband Daryl to renew their vows on their 10th anniversary.
She used just a cane and a prosthetic leg with a microprocessor, and Daryl's arm for support.
Watch a video here...
Premium Link
Upgrade
