The Daily Populous Sunday June 7th, 2026 morning edition
Authored by tampabay28.com and submitted by Forward-Answer-4407

BRADENTON, Fla. — A Bradenton teen who has overcome numerous obstacles has graduated from middle school.

Jasmine Ramirez, 14, graduated from Braden River Middle School on May 27, 2026.

She joined her classmates for the ceremony.

"I really haven't got to see like my friends or classmates so it was kind of different so now since I'm graduating, I'm kind of excited, but also sad since I haven't really experienced like 8th grade since I was in the hospital," said Jasmine.

WATCH: Bradenton teen who had leg amputated graduates from middle school

Bradenton teen who had leg amputated graduates from middle school

She said she was home-schooled for most of her 8th-grade year because doctors' appointments and hospital stays took up much of her time.

Tampa Bay 28 first shared Jasmine's story in December of 2025.

Doctors performed a 17-hour surgery to amputate her left leg. The limb weighed 174 pounds.

She was released from the hospital the following month.

Jasmine has suffered from a rare condition since she was two years old. The condition caused her limb to grow rapidly.

Tampa Bay 28 spoke to Jasmine's older sister last year.

"Her legs were pretty normal up until she turned around two years old. My parents started realizing that her left leg was kind of growing a bit more larger than the other," said Jasmine's sister Anastashia Carrasquillo.

Last week, Jasmine received a prosthetic leg from Shriner's in South Carolina.

"We traveled several times to South Carolina, and they made the prosthetic, and we came back with it last week," said Manuel Ramirez, Jasmine's father.

Her father said seeing his daughter graduate overwhelms him with emotion.

"Being here, it means a lot and not just to Jasmine. It means a lot to all of us, especially mom and me, because this is something that could not have happened, and we're here and we're grateful for that," said Manuel.

Jasmine said she's looking forward to high school and making new friends.

She also gave a speech to her classmates at graduation.

"I'm grateful to have made it through the challenges, challenging year," she told her classmates.

Jasmine plans to attend Braden River High School in the fall.

For more on efforts to help Jasmine with her ongoing recovery, click here.

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. Julie Salomone works to share the issues that matter to you. And navigating the job market is critical to affording the price of paradise. Julie also focuses on the day-to-day issues in Sarasota County, so be sure to reach out to Julie to start a conversation.

tequilaguru on June 7th, 2026 at 01:29 UTC »

It wasn’t an infection, she had a tumor, it’s being ongoing since she was very young. https://people.com/florida-graduates-middle-school-after-life-saving-leg-amputation-11988384

Forward-Answer-4407 on June 7th, 2026 at 01:22 UTC »

People.com has some before and after the surgery pictures:

Before:

https://people.com/thmb/ThtWrJ97a34U-czymqe3qjKA5TQ=/750x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Jasmine-Ramirez-060226-39accf7e0cf44164a6bec8c59e1fb136.jpg:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Jasmine-Ramirez-060226-39accf7e0cf44164a6bec8c59e1fb136.jpg)

After:

https://people.com/thmb/MwtMam_pqfsappw_mGXFMh2gBhQ=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(666x0:668x2):format(webp)/Jasmine-Ramirez-060226-4-ff0026706c78485fa162ab38ed9f2b87.jpg:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(666x0:668x2):format(webp)/Jasmine-Ramirez-060226-4-ff0026706c78485fa162ab38ed9f2b87.jpg)

I'm glad she is doing okay!

DMala on June 7th, 2026 at 01:22 UTC »

I’m curious why it wasn’t amputated sooner. There can’t be anything good or useful about a 174 lb. leg. With modern prosthetics, she’s got to be way, way better off without it.