Defying the Label
Season 1 • Episode 5: The Boy Who Wants His Leg Cut Off • Watch with subtitles
Episode 5: The Boy Who Wants His Leg Cut Off
July 27, 2015 • 60 min
Eleven year-old Dillon Chapman from Somerset wants to have his left leg amputated. His tiny body is ravaged with over 200 tumours caused by the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). He has one of the most extreme forms of NF1 UK doctors have ever seen; it has caused his left leg to grow four times larger and over six centimetres longer than his right, making life unbearable for Dillon. This strong boy is now adamant that his severely debilitating leg has to go, and he wants it amputated, but is it right for an 11 year-old to make the decision to have his own leg removed? Will the doctors and specialists agree with the family that the time is right for amputation? It is going to be a long and difficult road and he will encounter obstacles and face rejection; Dillon is a fighter and is determined to be heard, but will he ultimately be listened to?
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