Jasmine Ramirez suffered from a rare condition that caused her left leg to balloon to 174 lbs.
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- Jasmine Ramirez graduated from middle school months after undergoing a life-saving leg amputation
- The Florida teen suffered from a rare condition that caused her left leg to grow to 174 lbs.
- Jasmine said she’s now looking ahead to high school, college and her dream of performing on Broadway
A Florida teen is celebrating a milestone that once seemed out of reach.
Just months after undergoing a life-saving leg amputation, Jasmine Ramirez graduated from Braden River Middle School in Bradenton on May 27.
"To be honest, I thought I wasn't going to make it, but I did," Jasmine, 14, told local outlet WFLA. "I got to walk the stage."
“I'm glad that I graduated and that I'm going to go to high school and meet some new people and make some new friends,” she added.
The graduation marked a triumphant moment for the teen, who has spent much of her life battling a rare medical condition that caused her left leg to grow to a massive size.
In 2025, Jasmine's health took a turn when she developed a severe infection in the leg. Doctors ultimately determined that amputation was her best chance of survival.
Surgeons performed a nearly 17-hour operation to remove the leg, which had a large tumor and weighed 174 lbs. at the time of the procedure.
“I have a regret that I shouldn't have amputated my leg, but at the same time, I'm kind of glad that I did, because if I didn't, it was going to take my life, and I wouldn't be here today,” Jasmine told the outlet.
Credit: GoFundMe
She added that she struggled with self-image in the wake of the surgery.
“I just didn't want to look at my body because I felt like a monster,” she explained, adding that she has learned to “cope with it.”
Credit: GoFundMe
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“They can look at me, they can point at me, whatever they want, and I'm just not going to care,” she said.
Jasmine said she is now looking foward to what lies ahead.
Credit: GoFundMe
“I still have a long way to live. I want to finish high school, because I want to go to college and study theater, because I actually want to go on Broadway one day,” she said.
A GoFundMe has been established to help support Jasmine's recovery.
“As she adapts to her new life, she will still need to continue seeing doctors and attending therapy multiple days a week, including multiple trips out of town — some several hours away,” fund creator Anastashia Carrasquillo wrote on the fundraising page.
“Donations will continue to help pay for gas and essentials like food, as well as anything else needed to support Jasmine's recovery,” she continued. “We are also beginning the process of getting her prosthesis, which the funds will help cover.”
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