N.J. girl born without fibula has successful leg-lengthening surgery

JACKSON, N.J. -- Eleven-year-old Leila Ricks of New Jersey will never take playing basketball for granted.

When she was born, doctors said she was missing a fibula and had a rare condition called fibular hemimelia.

"I knew I would never give up because I always wanted to keep going and I always wanted to keep going strong," Leila told CBS News New York.

Doctors said the leg may have to be amputated

One of Leila's legs was shorter than the other. Doctors told her mom it might have to be removed.

"They told us that they're not sure, but depending upon the growth and how rapidly she would grow that she might wind up, her right leg might have to be amputated," said Keri Ricks.

Leila said the condition prevented her from walking like the other kids at school.

"They could run faster. They could walk normal, and I can't," she said. "My mom would always tell me to keep going and to never give up."

"She went into every, single surgery being strong"

In 2020, Leila started undergoing multiple surgeries at Mount Sinai Hospital and doctors were able to save her leg.

"She went into every, single surgery being strong and being positive and has come out an even better person than when she went in," her mom said.

Leila has scars where doctors inserted pins in her knees.

"We put on a frame, which is a lengthening device. She wasn't able to put weight on it for a very long period of time," said Dr. Sheena Ranade, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Mount Sinai. "We found that Leila did not have an ACL (an anterior cruciate ligament) or a PCL (a posterior cruciate ligament) in the knee ... So we used one of her other muscles to create those for her and she, again, blew us all away with how she recovered from that."

"Never give up and always stay strong"

Since the successful surgeries, Leila started playing competitive softball in addition to basketball. She even hit a game-winning home run.

"Never give up and always stay strong because in the future it's always going to get better," Leila said.

She plans to start playing volleyball next and wants to be a surgeon when she grows up.

Leila will need another leg-lengthening surgery when she turns 13. She has been offered plastic surgery to cover the scars, but says she doesn't want it.