For most of her life, 14-year-old Jasmine Ramirez of Bradenton, Florida, lived with a rare and progressive condition that caused her left leg to grow to an extraordinary size. The overgrowth began when she was just 2 years old. What started as a noticeable difference gradually became a massive limb that eventually weighed 174 pounds on its own.

Doctors classified the condition as an unusual form of overgrowth syndrome or lymphomatous tumor. Unlike more common genetic overgrowth disorders, Jasmine’s case did not show the typical gene mutations, making it especially difficult to treat or even fully name. Over more than a decade she underwent multiple procedures — including liposuction and open surgeries to remove excess tissue — as well as medications aimed at slowing the growth. Each time, the leg regrew significantly within months.

By late 2025 the situation had become life-threatening. A serious infection developed in the massive limb, and Jasmine’s overall health was deteriorating due to the sheer size of the growth, which also involved tissue in her hip and abdomen. After careful discussion with the family, the medical team at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg determined that amputation offered the best chance of survival.

On December 11, a multidisciplinary team performed a complex operation lasting nearly 17 hours. Surgeons amputated the left leg and removed the majority of the abnormal tissue. After the procedure, Jasmine herself weighed about 80 pounds. Her father, Manuel Ramirez, later recalled the family’s longstanding understanding: if it ever came down to her life or her leg, they would choose her life.

Recovery was challenging. Jasmine spent time in the pediatric intensive care unit and faced the emotional adjustment of life with one leg. Yet she steadily gained strength. She was eventually fitted with a prosthetic and, months later, achieved a major milestone — graduating from Braden River Middle School. She has spoken of her hope to finish high school, study theater in college, and one day perform on Broadway.

Jasmine’s case underscores both the difficulties of managing rare, progressive overgrowth conditions and the resilience required of patients and families when treatment options narrow to life-saving surgery. Her surgeons continue to study her condition in the hope of better understanding similar cases in the future.

Sources

• Your Observer, WFLA, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, and Tampa Bay 28 reports (December 2025–June 2026)
• Statements from Jasmine Ramirez, her father Manuel Ramirez, sister Anastashia Carrasquillo, and surgeons at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital