NH girl, 8, staying strong despite amputations

LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Bella Tucker's smile is as big as her spirit is strong, even after the 8-year-old underwent a quadruple amputation.

On Easter Sunday, Bella, a completely healthy third-grader, got sick. It only got worse. Days later, she was taken by helicopter to Children's Hospital, where she was diagnosed with strep-pneumonia.

“The doctors told us when we got there that night, that they didn't expect to see her alive the next morning,” said Selena Roarty, Bella’s mother.

Bella made it, but the infection stopped her blood from getting to her hands and legs.

A month later, doctors were forced to amputate all of the young gymnast's limbs. News that could cripple a parent, didn't discourage Bella's mother.

“I'm just happy she's alive. When they told us this is what might happen, in the beginning it didn't really faze me because she is alive,” said Roarty.

Now, Bella is being fit for prosthetics while her family is shuttling between the hospital and their Londonderry home, working to reconstruct their entire house to meet her medical needs.

They've received tremendous support from the community, employers and Bella's school.

Everyone wants to see her recover.

"She has good days and bad days, but she's a strong little girl. It's a relief to hear her joke around and kind of just accept it, and that's what she's doing now," said Roarty. "Bella's smile just keeps us going."

Once Bella leaves Children's Hospital, she'll head to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and then to Philadelphia for more rehab, where she'll learn how to use her prosthetics.

Then, she can finally go home.

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