Kiwi Instagram star Jess Quinn: How she overcame losing her leg to cancer

Social media star Jess Quinn, who lost her leg to bone cancer as a child, says she's grown to love each of her three prosthetic legs.

The 24-year-old runner from Auckland, who has over 160,000 Instagram followers, says it took a long time to come to terms with what happened and adapt to her new body and its capabilities.

For eight long years, the aspiring athlete says she went to extreme lengths to hide her prosthetic leg from her school friends, after losing her leg at age nine.

"I went through a really rough period where... just the nature of the surgery I'd had, my thigh area was really skinny," Quinn says.

"So I would wake up every morning and wrap t-shirts and socks and whatever I could just to bulk up my leg, sellotape it ... masking tape it up and that would be my leg for the day."

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THIS IS POSSIBLY THE REALEST STUFF I'VE EVER SHARED. This right here is me. 100% me. As me as it gets. Long story (follow the link in bio for that) short I had a very rare surgery that left my leg looking like this. After years of taping t-shirts around my thigh in order to simply fill out my jeans I got a "thigh" made and now me without it is a site that's rarely seen. It's something I've always kept to myself because feeling vulnerable is not a feeling I've ever enjoyed and MY GOD do I feel vulnerable when I strip back my prosthetics. But I figured, if by me sharing the real ME with all of you, then maybe, you might find the confidence to be the real you, insecurities and ALL! & as weird & unusual & unique as it may be, that leg, it takes me places, it gives me the ability to live the life I want, but most importantly, that weird & wacky looking thing is the reason I have my life. & that's not vulnerability, that's strength. So, don't hide away from your differences, your insecurities, your uniqueness, stand tall & be proud of them. They are all a part of your story & your story is what makes you YOU. FOLLOW THE LINK IN MY BIO FOR THE FULL STORY & if you want to share yours use the #planbetherealme. Let's lift each other up ⭐

A post shared by 👊🏼 Jess Quinn (@jessicaemilyquinn) on Nov 8, 2017 at 12:12am PST

She says it got to a point where she decided to have prosthetic thighs made to help her fill out her jeans.

"I think that really helped me get towards that more sense of confidence and be able to wear what I felt more comfortable-wearing."

Quinn hit a turning point at age 17, when she was asked by her friends if she wanted to borrow a pair of shorts at the beach. She hadn't worn shorts in eight years.

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TODAY, I ACHIEVED MY GOAL! Not becuase I ran a certain distance or at a certain speed but because I decided to give it a go AGAIN. In 2016 I set myself a year to run 10km. That didn't happen but what I realised is that it was never about a distance. It was about trying to achieve something I had loved before I lost my leg & something I'd been told would be near impossible since. So yes, I achieved my goal today simply by deciding to strap that leg back on & give it another shot. I ran. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fast but I was on the track where it all began as a kid putting one foot in front of the other. If that isn't running then I don't know what is. Thank you for ALWAYS believing in me @lydiaodo. You are one INCREDIBLE human.

A post shared by 👊🏼 Jess Quinn (@jessicaemilyquinn) on Oct 3, 2017 at 1:24am PDT

"I just remember being like 'what have I been doing', you know. I've been hiding away from something I have no control over."

Since then, she says her confidence has grown tremendously - as has how much she appreciates her prosthetic legs, of which she has three for different requirements.

"I have the every day leg that I'm wearing now, which has a really life-like cover on it. And it's just, for me, it's my leg that I can be whoever I want to be in it."

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I may have forgotten my training shoes but at least I didn't forget my leg.

A post shared by 👊🏼 Jess Quinn (@jessicaemilyquinn) on Aug 21, 2017 at 1:58am PDT

"And then I have my running leg, which I ordered probably about two years ago," she says.

"Running was the only thing I hadn't really mastered since losing my leg... Now I'm running small distances but I can run from A to B which is cool."

And she says her third leg is her spare leg, her swim leg, her "rough as guts" leg.

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Moisture Surge by @cliniquenz keeping my skin hydrated in this sunshine ☀️ #hydrationbar #moisturesurge

A post shared by 👊🏼 Jess Quinn (@jessicaemilyquinn) on Jul 24, 2017 at 2:15am PDT

Quinn recently shared a photo of her third leg - without her thigh replacement - for the first time to her followers.

"All I'm doing is sharing my story. I think if we all have that ability to show the raw side and the real side of our life, we would realise how many people we can inspire just by doing that."