Boy Beats Cancer And Returns To Karting Podium With Prosthetic Leg

An eight-year-old who lost the lower part of his leg to cancer has reignited his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver, topping the podium of a junior go-karting race using a prosthetic leg. Pedro Cueto, from Arvada, Colorado, has always been fascinated with cars – so much so that his first word was "vroooom," his family revealed. When Pedro, aged eight, would get a belly ache, he would say his engine hurts, while all of his Halloween costumes and birthday cakes have been car-themed. From this love of cars, Pedro has always dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 driver – but in September 2021, his family received devastating news. After Pedro woke up with pain in his knee, which persisted for a number of days, he was taken to Children's Hospital Colorado, where he was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare kind of cancer that occurs in bones and the soft tissue around them. Pedro spent nine months in and out of the hospital, receiving chemotherapy, blood transfusions, various medications and, eventually, surgery. Pedro's parents promised him that if he kept going through treatment and, later, physiotherapy, they would treat him to a go-kart once he was well enough to use it. Many see junior karting as the first step on the F1 ladder, and having seen his condition improve, Pedro was surprised with the go-kart as a Christmas present. After finishing his first race in second place, Pedro later finished first in another, standing proudly on top of the podium at Grand Junction Motor Speedway in Grand Junction, Colorado, on May 7.