By Alyce Collins
THIS STUNNING mother-of-two was just ELEVEN-YEARS-OLD when she had to make the difficult decision to have her entire right leg amputated to save her life.
Entrepreneur Tessa Snyder (29) from Philadelphia, US, was diagnosed with cancer at just 11-years-old after doctors wrongly diagnosed it as growing pains for months.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
After seven months of chemotherapy, doctors held a meeting with Tessa and her family to discuss finally getting rid of her tumour through amputating her leg. Although she was young, Tessa knew that an amputation was her best chance at minimising any chance of having to face cancer again.
Tessa spent the next three months being closely monitored and confined to a wheelchair, but in January 2001 she was told that she was finally free of cancer, a day which she will always remember.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
Since her battle, Tessa has grown stronger and learned to love her prosthetic leg as itās given her back her life. Despite fearing that her life couldnāt be normal, Tessa now hopes to inspire other survivors and amputees to love themselves.
Tessa embraces her prosthetic at every opportunity she gets, and sheās incredibly proud of her determination to beat cancer at such a young age. Tessa now lives with her husband, Casey and their two sons.

āI first noticed pains around the spring of 2000 and I went to the doctors who misdiagnosed me with growing pains,ā said Tessa.
āLittle by little I would wake up every day for school and the pain would get worse every morning. One morning I woke up in tears because it took a good couple of minutes for me to be able to bend my leg.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āEventually the pain became unbearable to the touch. I was then ordered in for an MRI a couple of months later.
āI had a biopsy done on my leg, then 10 days after I was sitting in a room being checked out by the surgeon, making sure the stitches had healed.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āHe stood in front of me and explained as simply as he could to an 11-year-old that I had cancer. Osteogenic sarcoma on my right femur bone to be exact.
āOnce I was diagnosed, things happened fast. Looking back, it feels like such a whirlwind. I had a central line inserted into my chest to administer the chemotherapy into my body.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āWhen I was first admitted into the hospital I had long brown hair which I loved. The doctors and nurses explained the side effect of chemotherapy and how I would be losing my hair, so I should think about cutting my hair.
āI felt like I was weird looking, and it made me feel vulnerable.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āChemotherapy completely took over my life. I was administered the strongest treatments to attack the cancer aggressively. So I would throw up numerous times a week.
āI couldnāt keep food down, so I had a feeding tube inserted in me. I had no outside life because I was in hospital for five days a week most weeks. My immune system was so low that I couldnāt really be around people.
āMy health was deteriorating from the treatment, so I was always lethargic and weak.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āI had chemotherapy almost every week for about seven months. After the first two months of chemotherapy, the idea of an amputation was brought up to me.
āThe procedure would involve cutting above where the tumour was to limit any chance of the cancer coming back. I think my parents wanted to give me some sort of power by giving me the chance to decide what I wanted to do.
āEven in my 11-year-old mind I thought if I could get rid of my leg and never have to go through this again, why not? They showed me pictures of people who went on to live great lives and explained Iād be able to walk, run and play sports again.ā

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
Tessaās amputation was on September 29th, 2000 and she then faced a rocky journey to recovery as she had three more months of intense chemotherapy. Tessaās supportive friends and family were around to help her, and they were around her when she awoke from the amputation.
āI heard people talking and crying around me. I remember a lot of pain coming in intervals,ā said Tessa.
āI was hooked up to a morphine drip which Iād press every time I felt the pain come. My parents came over to greet me and they gave me hugs and kisses.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āMy dad recalls a line which heāll never let me live down, as he shouldnāt, which was āDad, I did itā. That little girl had a better mindset than most adults.
āThe year of 2001 was a new year for the new me. I focused on becoming stronger while learning how to walk with a prosthesis. My first prosthetic didnāt bend at the knee, but it was specifically designed to gain strength and mobility.
āIt was so I could āfeelā what it was like to stand on two feet again after three months of not being able to.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āThere were countless times of frustration and anger, but not once did I want to give up.
āSchool with a prosthetic was difficult. I felt different to everyone else. I felt out of place and like I wouldnāt be accepted or have any friends.
āAs I was so young at first, I just didnāt know any different. But when I was in my teen years thatās when I had the most difficulty liking my prosthetic.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āItās taken me almost 20 years to fully accept my prosthesis. There are days when I donāt want to wear it or days when it hurts, and it gives me sores. But one thing I realised is that I couldnāt keep living my life hating something that I couldnāt change.
āMy prosthetic is a part of me and itās who I am. It gives me the ability to take me places I want to go and to be able to experience life with my children and partner.
āThe closest people in my life had loved seeing me open up recently and inspiring others who are going through similar circumstances.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āIāve learned so much, but mostly how to grow. Growth is such a beautiful thing that we all have the ability to achieve.
āSelf-acceptance, growing and learning to love ourselves are the keys to happiness in my eyes.
āI canāt even remember what life was like on my original two legs. This is normal now.

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
āI love that at almost 30-years-old I feel more beautiful and sexier than ever. I canāt believe I used to let so many things get to me. Cancer sucks, and having one leg may not be ideal sometimes, but I was given a second chance at life.
āIf I get to help one person through my journey, then my purpose on earth is worth it. Almost 20 years later, I am proud to say to that little 11-year-old girl, thank you for not giving up.ā

Tessa Snyder / MDWfeatures
You can read more about Tessaās journey by visiting her blog, bellamuseofficial.com, or by going to her Instagram @tessnyder.