Eight-year-old cancer survivor who lost leg determined to get active again

Javier with his brother Javaughn

Five months after eight-year-old Javier Anderson was diagnosed with cancer, his left leg was amputated due to the dreaded disease but the little swimmer and cricketer’s only wish for his birthday next month is for someone to give him a prosthetic leg so he can be active again.

“I was thinking before I go into the surgery ‘Imagine I now learn to swim and my leg is going to get cut off’…I want to be back in the water and be able to swim again and play cricket …and you know I will, I just know I will. All I need is a leg,” Javier Anderson told Stabroek News in an interview.

Filled with care and love for his mom, he not only has to grapple with his unforeseen disability but memories of a father who ill-treated the mother he adores. His resilience and determination to plod on with life, shone when he topped this year’s Courts Essay Competition on why his mom is the Mother of the Year.

“My mommy is a very strong person. She has gone though a lot of tough times especially since she found the courage to come