A unique surgery helped save the life of a 12-year-old Selden girl with cancer - and helped her to be able to dance again.

Surgeons at Stony Brook University Hospital removed Delaney Unger’s leg just above the knee after discovering she had a rare bone cancer in her femur.

Unger thought she would never be able to dance again, but her team of doctors decided she was a candidate for a complicated surgery called rotationplasty.

The surgery involved turning her ankle into a knee joint by reattaching the bottom portion of her leg and foot to her thigh. The procedure had only been done one other time.

The complicated surgery was successful and the cancer was removed, but her difficult journey was about to begin, including learning to walk again and dealing with chemotherapy.

A year and a half later, Unger is dancing in recitals, surfing in Hawaii and fooling around with her twin brother, Cameron.

She is also trying out for the Selden Middle School kickline.

“Just stay strong because you will probably be all right, most likely,” she says.