The Kennedy dynasty is the source of this week's Amputee of the Week

In 1973, at the age of 12, Edward "Ted" Kennedy, Jr, the son of Senator Edward Kennedy, discovered a lump below his kneecap. A paediatrician told his parents it was just a calcium deposit and to advised them soak it in Epsom salts.

Later, while skateboarding, the young Kennedy fell and hit his leg on a curb. "The pain lasted for an abnormal period of time, and I told my parents we’d better check this thing out," he said. The examination revealed a cancerous tumour, and a biopsy revealed a malignancy. His leg was amputated above the knee the next day.

"I remember my dad coming into my room and telling me that I was going to lose part of my leg," Ted Jr. recalled. "I was petrified and horrified at the thought. I remember thinking that living life with one leg was worse than not living at all."

Kennedy went on to college, graduate school, and law school, and today is an advocate for the civil rights of people with disabilities. He practices in Connecticut, specializing in health and disability law.

You can read an interview with Ted Kennedy Jr here. In it, he says:

"For some, limb salvage is a great option. But people go through Herculean efforts to try to save a leg when, I think in many cases, they would be much better off going for the amputation. It's not the end of the world to lose a leg."

Indeed it's not. Ted Kennedy Jr -- you're Amputee of the Week.