Bianca - bone tissue recipient, WA

I hate to think of the limitations Bianca would have had to live with if bone donations were not available.

Talented dancer Bianca Valenti, 17, is thankful for two anonymous bone donors whose gifts have allowed her to dance again.

In March 2017 at the age of 12, Bianca was diagnosed with a large aneurysmal bone cyst in her right femur, after suffering constant, excruciating leg pain for many years.

A keen dancer, Bianca’s pain compromised her beloved hip hop and jazz dance classes, which she attended four times a week.

Shortly after her diagnosis, Bianca underwent surgery to remove the cyst and transplant a donor bone graft into her femur. She was recovering well, until an x-ray revealed another cyst just above the original site. The second cyst was removed the following January, and another donor bone graft transplanted into Bianca’s leg.

Bianca and her family are incredibly grateful for the bone grafts she received and acknowledge the profound impact of bone donation on Bianca’s quality of life.

“Bianca loves to dance,” Bianca’s mother, Tania, said.

“I hate to think of the limitations Bianca would have had to live with if bone donations were not available.

“If it wasn’t for the bone donations Bianca received, there’s no way she would be up and about now. It’s so wonderful this technology and medical knowhow is available to make such life-changing benefits to people’s lives.”