Mother Discovers Cancerous Tumor on Her Foot During Pedicure
She had to have her foot amputated.
Jenn Andrews didn’t notice the lump on her foot until she went for a pedicure.
The 33-year-old, who was pregnant with her first child at the time, was getting a foot massage in 2013 when her pedicurist noticed a nodule on her right foot.
“I kept an eye on it and nothing changed,” Andrews told InsideEdition.com. “Then after I had my daughter I had a rough recovery so I wasn’t worried about it.”
When she got pregnant with her second child, just a short time later, she realized the bump on her foot had grown from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball.
She knew she needed to see a doctor but they couldn’t do anything until after she gave birth.
In 2015, she finally met with a physician who recommended an MRI and biopsy.
“Everything came back negative,” Andrews said. “They recommended to have the mass removed. And then ten days later I went back to the orthopedic oncologist and I was told that it was cancer.”
Andrews said all she could think was, “I am a new mom. I am in my early 30s. I have my whole life ahead of me.”
She had surgery to have the mass removed and has monitored for any recurrence every few months. In January 2018, a scan showed the tumor was growing back in the same spot. Doctors warned the cancer could metastasize.
“My doctors know my number one priority is survival,” Andrews said. “They said ‘If your number one concern is being here to watch your kids graduate then your best choice is amputation.”’
In March 2018, Andrews underwent the surgery to have her right foot removed.
“I knew that’s what I needed to do but it was harder to accept the decision,” Andrews said. "I am grateful that I still had the option to choose what I chose. There is good days and bad days.”
The mom is still learning to walk and adjust to her new lifestyle.
Family friends have started a GoFundMe to help her raise money for expensive prosthetics that have to be replaced every few years.
She also hopes to obtain one with a running blade and another she can put in water so she can play with her children.
“I still have days when I cry and I’m sad,” Andrews said. “But, I have had a very positive attitude since the beginning.”
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