11-year-old takes bold strides into the future

Javier Forrester dreamt of becoming a footballer. In fact, he anticipated the weekends where he and his elder brother, Jevonne, could match their skills against each other.

Javier, 11, was forced to give up the football pitch last September after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a common form of bone cancer that mostly affects young children and adolescents. To add, his leg was amputated a few days after.

Young Javier was fitted with a prosthetic leg at Surgix Prosthetics Clinic located at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre in Mona, St Andrew, last Friday. His father Courtney, who was among those who travelled with him from their home in Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland, recalled that Javier informed family members about a swelling on his leg, which began causing him pain last year. His father grew concerned and carried him to the hospital on September 29. A CT scan was done, which showed a tumour in his leg, which was found to be cancerous.

Hit me real hard

"It hit me real hard that day. All I could think is 'why this had to happen to me?" But then again God knows best. When the doctors told me they would remove the leg. I asked if the doctors couldn't do something different, but I did my research and I realised that it was the best option ," the elder Forrester said.

Following the amputation, young Javier had to walk with the support of crutches, or his brother Jevonne giving him rides on his back. Jevonne said while he was looking forward to his brother playing professional football in the future, it is a distant dream at this point.

"We live away from the road, so most times when we travelling, I have to carry him on my back cause him can't really manage the rocky road. We mostly interact now on the tablets or the PlayStation. Before, we used to play football and I had plans to teach him how to play football, as I am a footballer but I don't think that will happen again. It's going to be a little different," Jevonne said.

Significant contribution

Javier's mother, Iesha Vickers, had made contact with Surgix seeking a prosthetic leg for her son after his amputation. A donor, Joanne Azar, according to Surgix's boss Winfield Boban, provided a significant contribution to cover the cost of the limb. Javier's father is grateful for the contribution.

"I make furniture and I can't really do that as much since he was diagnosed with cancer because I have to be with him. He does chemotherapy, heart tests and bone scans frequently. But I am happy today that he is getting his leg and will be able to move freely on his own, without the crutches," the 42-year-old father of three said.

Boban described Javier as a fighter with a winning spirit that was not destroyed, even when he received the dreaded diagnosis.

"He can be a lawyer, doctor or a scientist. He can be anybody and we are going to give him a chance today to get moving. Javier is just an inspiration to all of us and he is a blessing to all of his family," Boban said.

During Friday's fitting, the family stood anxiously as the prosthetic technicians, Lasana Pryce and Orlando Brown, assisted the Salem Primary and Junior High student. The excitement was palpable as Javier walked from the examination room. With his family as supporters on the sidelines, he put down his crutches, and with the guidance of Brown, he took his first steps with the new leg.

His father's eyes welled up with tears as he witnessed his son walking again. "I feel happy but the only thing, I'm sorry his mother isn't here to see his first steps as well, but I feel really happy."