Jessica Quinn has spoken candidly about her vulnerability of living with a prosthetic leg
A 24-year-old woman who lost her limb to bone cancer has spoken candidly about her vulnerability of living with a prosthetic leg.
Jessica Quinn, from New Zealand, has shared a raw photograph of her leg without the full prosthetic for the first time to show everyone the ‘real me’.
At the tender age of nine, she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma – a rare form of bone cancer – and eventually she had her leg amputated to stop the disease from spreading.
Following the 14-hour surgery, the cancer survivor started struggling with her body image because she was ‘forever stuck with a thin thigh’ area.
Growing up, she said she avoided wearing anything shorter than her knees – and she would wrap t-shirts around her thigh to make it appear the same size as the other side.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the young woman revealed the extreme lengths she used to go through to cover up her leg – and how she’s now determined to show people how to love the skin they’re in.
The young woman revealed how she went to extreme lengths to cover up her leg growing up
She shared a raw photograph (pictured) of her leg without the full prosthetic for the first time to show everyone the ‘real me’ – after she went to extreme lengths to hide her ‘thin thigh’
‘Through my teenage years I really struggled with this, the rest of my body was filling out and getting shape yet I was forever stuck with this skinny leg,’ she said in her latest Plan Be blog post.
‘Wearing skinny jeans was near impossible… It got to the point where I would wake up every single day and wrap t-shirts around my thigh area until it somewhat equaled the size of my other thigh, then secured it with masking tape.
‘I’d remove this every night and start again the next day. Looking back now I can’t believe that I did that, but all I wanted was to feel normal, to feel human.’
The inability to wear clothes above her leg was a constant issue but her ‘whole world changed’ after she found someone who offered to create her prosthetic thighs.
And fast forward, the young woman said she finally found the strength to open up about dealing with her vulnerability.
The 24-year-old, from New Zealand, said she finally found the strength to wear clothes above the knees – an issue she struggled with growing up after losing her leg to cancer
She said she used to wrap shirts around her thigh to make it appear the same size as the other
‘I used to be afraid of feeling vulnerable as if that made me weak,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘But I’m learning how much strength there is in being vulnerable and how much we can inspire each other simply by being 100 per cent human.
‘At the end of the day, we all have something going on, something we wish we could change or something we struggle to face every single day.
‘I’ve found so much strength in telling my story and not closing off, I believe it is the best way we can support each other by saying “hey, I’m human too”.’
Initially reluctant to share the image, Jessica said she now wants everyone to see the reality behind her prosthetic leg – and what she has been living with.
Jessica lives with three legs- a ‘running’ leg (pictured), an ‘everyday’ leg and a ‘swimming’ leg
The woman said she’s now determined to show everyone the reality behind her prosthetic leg
‘I am the first person to say – be confident, be yourself and don’t let your insecurities hold you back so I was reluctant to share this,’ she admitted.
‘I didn’t want to look like I’ve been ‘hiding’ my insecurities but sometimes you just want to be able to walk without your leg hinges getting caught on your jeans, you want to cross your legs without feeling an uncomfortable hinge against your skin.
‘It’s something I’ve kept to myself because feeling vulnerable is not a feeling I’ve ever enjoyed and my God do I feel vulnerable when I strip back my prosthetic.
‘But I figured, if by me sharing the real me with all of you then maybe, just maybe, you might feel the confidence to be the real you.’
Jessica has been living with three legs – a ‘running’ leg, an ‘everyday’ leg and a ‘swimming’ leg.
Like any teenage girl, Jessica said she found herself comparing her body to others around her
The 24-year-old said she’s now determined to show people how to love the skin they’re in
Like any teenage girl, Jessica said she found herself comparing her body to others.
‘I faced adversity at such a young age so I learnt that often, we have little control over our appearance,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘It was something I had to accept or else I’d forever be held back by something I had no control over. Yet our appearance is something we focus so strongly on.
‘We are constantly comparing ourselves to others but at the end of the day, there is so much more to each and every one of us then how we look on the outside.
‘It’s gotten to a point where we are so fixated on our appearance, we spend our days “fixing” ourselves and comparing to people in the media or on Instagram who don’t actually look like that in real life.
‘Instead of staring at the mirror and hoping a thigh gap will magically appear, take a look at your legs and think of the strength it takes your body to get you from A to B and how lucky you are to have that ability.’
The inability to wear clothes above her leg was a constant issue but her ‘whole world changed’ after she found someone who offered to create her prosthetic thighs
By sharing her incredible story, she wanted young people to draw hope from her experience
By sharing her inspiring story, she wanted people struggling with body image and self confidence to draw hope from her experience.
‘I wanted to show people that “hey, this is the real me”,’ she said.
‘It’s weird and unique but it’s me and I couldn’t be more prouder of the skin that I am in because the body that I once used to beat myself up over, literally saved my life.
‘If by me putting such a raw image out there inspires someone else to feel just a little bit more comfortable in their own skin, then I’m one step closer to inspire this shift.
‘And that’s not vulnerability, that’s strength. So, don’t hide away from your differences, your insecurities, your uniqueness – stand tall and be proud of them.
‘They are all part of your story – and your story makes you YOU.’