HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — A High Point teen is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. Jada Love, 16, was born with achondroplasia, which is a rare genetic disorder that causes dwarfism.
The condition came with other complications, and she spent the first couple of years of her life in the hospital undergoing a handful of surgeries.
Then last year, she took on another challenge the same way she does everything else: with determination and a smile.
Jada was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare cancer of the bone, in early 2023.
“It was devastating, but we had to hold on to our faith,” said Keith Love, Jada’s dad. “We had to hold on and be strong for her.”
The tumor on Jada’s leg required chemotherapy and a major surgery by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopaedic Oncology Surgeon Dr. Cynthia Emory.
“Dr. Emory said she was going to do her best to save her leg,” said Mary Love, Jada’s mom. “And she did.”
The procedure was hardly routine.
“In addition to removing about two-thirds of her tibia, which is one of the larger bones in the lower leg, I had to replace that. And because of her size, there really wasn’t something that was available on the market for me to use as a replacement piece,” Dr. Emory said. “I actually worked with a team of engineers and had a custom-made metal replacement designed for her.”