SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio teen who became an amputee due to a rare form of bone cancer hopes his new four-legged friend will be able to help him regain his independence.
Noah Adams, 18, was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in the summer of 2020. In October, he decided to have a rotationplasty, a surgery used to remove a portion of the leg where the cancer exists and rotate the foot 180 degrees. The procedure allows patients to have better mobility when they use a prosthetic leg.
In January, Adams received Dexter, an Australian Shepherd-Blue Lacy mix dog, as a gift to become a service dog.
“He’s very, very smart, but he’s super messy,” Adams said as Dexter slept next to him.
Dexter is 10-weeks-old and can start training to become a service dog when he turns 12 weeks, but the training costs thousands of dollars. A cost the family is still trying to figure out how they will cover in addition to the mounting medical bills.
Despite the cost, Adams’s mother said training Dexter to become a service dog is a must for her son.
“His quality of life is going to be 110% better,” Debi Harper said.
Adams is excited about Dexter becoming a dog trained to help him with mobility.
“He’s going to be able to like fetch things mainly and do normal tasks that people with two legs would be easily able to do,” he said.
Adams said he is appreciative of his parents who have sacrificed a lot to ensure he is successful.
“I can say nothing more than thank you. You know, I really appreciate everything they’ve done for me,” Adams said.
Adams’ battle with cancer is far from over. He continues to receive chemotherapy treatments at the hospital.
Adams and his family say they are forever grateful for the support from the San Antonio community, which has made it easier to deal with a difficult battle.
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