Less than two years after a major amputation, 16-year-old Rylee Sayer is preparing to represent New Zealand at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.
The Te Aroha teenager lost her right arm, shoulder, and clavicle to bone cancer in late 2023.
But rather than slowing her down, Sayer said the surgery made her a better swimmer in some respects.
"I can actually do butterfly now — I couldn't do it with two arms so that's a win," she told 1News.
16-year-old Rylee Sayer lost her right arm to bone cancer in 2023, but hasn’t let it stop her achieving her swimming dreams. (Source: 1News)
Sayer will compete in four events: the 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle, and 100m breaststroke.
She said her favourite was the 50m freestyle.
"I love to go fast."
Born with tuberous sclerosis complex, a rare genetic condition that causes growths in the brain and other organs, Sayer has lived with epilepsy, memory loss and coordination challenges.
Her intellectual impairment classified her as an S14 Para swimmer.
But in 2023, a sudden cancer diagnosis interrupted her swimming career, and within a month she underwent a major amputation.
"You're not even thinking about the future," her mother said.
"You're just hoping they're going to be alive at the end of it all."
Three months later, Sayer was back in the pool.
"It was freedom. It felt like I could do anything."
Her reclassification after the amputation meant shorter races, allowing her to focus on speed rather than timing and pace.
Sayer qualified for the world championships after dominating at nationals.
"I'm so grateful for a second chance at life," she said. "Qualifying for worlds is such an achievement."
Her long-term goal was the Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028 – a dream she has held since she was five.
"It's really hard to dream again when your kid's had such awful stuff happen to them," her mother said.
"I'm just immensely proud."
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