Two Boys Formed a Unique Bond After Undergoing the Same Kind of Leg Surgery

After 8-year-old Carter Mock had a special surgery on his foot, he knew his leg would come out looking a little different.

Mock had to undergo surgery to fix a cancerous tumor in his leg. However, in order to remove the cancer they had to remove a good chunk of his left leg around his knee. The doctors however were able to come up with a nifty fix and attach his lower leg backwards to his thigh, a procedure called rotationplasty.

Luckily, Mock didn’t have a hard time making this decision to undergo the surgery because his role model, Jack Manning, 18, had to go through the same exact thing.

“When we first met at the hospital, it was more of me helping him see what I could do. I showed him I could jump and run and other stuff I could do with the leg,” Manning explained to Today.

Mock had the surgery done last January and his left leg currently works as his knee joint. The unusual surgery helps him with mobility, compared to other surgeries he could have undergone.

Since his surgery, Manning has led a pretty normal life, which was a great influence for Mock. Manning slowly started playing sports again after working with a physical therapist.

“He just really got back to being a kid and it was awesome,” Manning’s father explained. “The surgery, as different as it is, gave him the best chance at excelling and doing anything and everything he wanted to. Ten years now post-surgery and post-chemo, the loss of the leg hasn’t slowed him down at all.”

That alone convinced Mock to have the surgery.

“The day of his surgery, he just walked in and he wasn’t scared or nervous. I think a lot had to do with him meeting Jack and seeing what he’s able to do,” Mock’s mom shared. “He looks up to Jack so much. He thinks he’s awesome.”

The bond only got stronger when the pair became “pedal partners” in the Pan Mass Challenge. For Mock’s honor, Manning and his father “will bike nearly 200 miles across Massachusetts to raise money for research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,” shared Today.

Mock finished with his chemotherapy this past June and can currently put about 75 percent of his weight on his foot. The young boy expects to be back to his functional self by the fall.

“He has big plans to be skiing again and playing hockey this January,” his mother said.

Mock’s family is especially grateful for Manning and the support that he has given to Mock.

“Jack gives Carter something my husband and I can’t give him. We haven’t been through Jack’s experiences and to see that someone else who looks the same way he does and know that he’s OK, it gives you such reassurance,” she said.

(H/T Today)