A 24-year-old woman who lost her leg due to cancer has proudly shared a raw photograph of herself without the prosthetic(假体的) leg on in an effort to promote body positivity.
Jessica Quinn, from New Zealand, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma—a rare form of bone cancer at the age of nine and eventually she had her leg amputated(截肢) to stop the disease from spreading.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the brave woman said she got up the courage to share the powerful picture publicly for the first time. Following a 14-hour surgery to remove her leg during her childhood, the cancer survivor started struggling with her body image because she was "forever stuck with it". She used to cover up her leg by avoiding wearing anything shorter than her knees.
"It took me 10 years to really start showing people what I looked like without my leg on. Now I don't like feeling weak though I know people will be supportive," she said.
"The challenges sometimes feel endless. But they remind me how lucky I am to have two feet planted on the floor."
Jessica also explained how social media has helped her gain self-confidence and the platform even shaped her into the person she is today.
"I know people often speak about social media in a negative light yet it's helped me grow. Simply just seeing the response and love I get when I share things like this and then seeing how it can help others is so heart-warming."
"If I can make someone feel beautiful in their own skin then I'll take every chance I can get."
Her social media post has since attracted more than 9,000 "likes" after sharing the post on Thursday evening. "The reaction has been extraordinary," Jessica said. "I get a flood of comments and I read every single one of them which brought tears to my eyes. Meanwhile, I'm always blown away by the support and love I get."
