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(FOX40.COM) — An Auburn woman is getting the chance to represent her country in an international soccer tournament while also finding solace in the sport. 

Melissa Kendall is nearly a year removed from a hemipelvectomy surgery that resulted in having her left leg amputated. 

Kendall, 37, had a rare form of cancer that forced her to lose her leg, but the amputee soccer community has given her a sense of belonging. 

“To have them there and show me just how full life can be, whether it can be in regaining function at work, the idea of having the family and carrying a baby, and the fun of joining a sports team, it was definitely eye-opening,” Kendall told FOX40.com. “I’m very grateful that the opportunity found me.” 

Kendall will be joining the U.S. women’s national amputee soccer team at the Amp Futbol Cup in Warsaw, Poland in September. 

The Amp Futbol Cup will take place on Sept. 16 and 17 where the women’s team will take on host Poland. 

Kendall’s diagnosis

Kendall is new to the amputee community after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) in her pelvis. 

UPS is a rare type of cancer that begins in the soft tissues of the body and usually occurs in the arms and legs, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

Kendall said the cancer was coming from the bone, which is rare for a soft tissue type of cancer. 

“It was very aggressive and it grew very rapidly,” Kendall tells FOX40.com. “I was nonresponsive to chemotherapy, we did three rounds of what we thought would be six.”

After not responding well to chemotherapy, she decided to quit the treatment and not undergo radiation. When she met with her doctor, she was told a hemipelvectomy, a pelvic amputation, was the recommended course of action. 

As the progression of the tumor grew, Kendall said it became evident that amputation and life were the way to go. 

She underwent the procedure in November 2022.

“So to have a group to show me the fullness of life post-amputation, even though right after surgery, I wasn’t fully ready to embrace the light of the end of the tunnel,” Kendall said. 

Melissa Kendall is coming up to almost one year since her leg was amputated. Photo courtesy of Melissa Kendall.

Finding solace in the game

Kendall is the only California member of the team, which is the first women’s squad for the American Amputee Soccer Association (AASA), a non-profit organization. 

She is one of three midfielders/forwards on the women’s team, which also has three defenders and one goalkeeper. 

According to the AASA, amputee soccer is played on a ¾-sized pitch with seven players on each team. Players use forearm crutches and play the ball with one leg while goalkeepers use only one arm. 

Before her procedure, Kendall was an avid hiker and snowboarder. Joining the soccer team has given her a second chance at being active.

Kendall has no experience playing organized soccer but received the opportunity after other fellow amputees she met online reached out to her. 

After talking with the coaches and some of the players, the dynamics of the team and camaraderie sealed her decision in giving soccer a try. 

“Besides soccer and being active, being with other amputees and learning, that’s what solidified my decision to go forward and do it,” Kendall said.