# Girl, 14, has part of her leg amputated after collapsing during volleyball practice

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/girl-14-has-part-of-her-leg-amputated-after-collapsing-during-volleyball-practice/
- Published: 2026-11-12T16:08:45+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T16:22:01+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16287157/Girl-leg-amputated-volleyball-practice-Arizona.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- An undiagnosed heart condition caused Mendez to collapse at practice.
- Complications during ECMO led to the loss of part of her leg.
- After 60 days in hospital, she is home and hopes to play volleyball again.

## Summary

Delilah Mendez, 14, collapsed during volleyball practice in Arizona after an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to lose her pulse. Doctors at Phoenix Children’s Hospital found she needed immediate heart surgery, and complications while she was on ECMO led to the amputation of the lower half of her left leg.

After 60 days in hospital and several operations, Mendez returned home, according to a family fundraising page update posted on 8 November. She is using crutches and hopes to learn to walk with a prosthetic and eventually play volleyball again; her mother says she has been struck by her daughter’s resilience.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.