During my regular runs I’d noticed my leg was starting to 'niggle’. It had been going on for a while, but I put the pain down to overuse. However, as time went on, I started to experience chronic pain in my thigh, sometimes a sharp pain and at other times a dull ache. The pain initially used to come and go and then became continuous and would be worse at night.

I went to my GP, who referred me for NHS physiotherapy, which wasn't great so I paid for a private osteopath, had sports massages, and even acupuncture. I went through tubes and tubes of ibuprofen gel. I literally tried everything I could think of to stop the pain.

I decided to go back to the GP after a particularly bad night, I couldn't sleep and was sobbing because of the pain.  She looked at my case history, could see I was a fit and active person, and decided something wasn't right. This was in June 2022.

She referred me for an x-ray at my local health centre. I found out later that the radiology team had cancelled the x-ray as they thought it was not necessary and would cost too much money, but luckily for me my GP was persistent. I had the x-ray and was called the same evening and told there was an unusual change in my leg and was asked if I had ever broken my thigh. I was sent to Addenbrooke's Hospital the following day for an MRI scan, and the results showed that the bone in my thigh had thickened and was bowing. A CT scan soon followed to check for metastatic spread. I was referred to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham for a biopsy.

Life came to an abrupt halt in August 2022 when the biopsy results confirmed I had a malignant growth in my leg. I was diagnosed with Chondrosarcoma – a rare type of bone cancer.  The pain in my thigh was caused by a 20cm tumour growing in the bone. I am not sure how long it had been growing but I definitely ran some miles on that tumour! Given the size and grade of the tumour, my surgeon wanted to remove the tumour and replace the bone with a metal spacer whilst the custom-built metal prosthesis was constructed.

I had my first surgery on 14th September 2022 to remove the tumour along with most of my thigh bone. The surgery was successful, and the surgeon was able to get good clear margins. I was non weightbearing for five months whilst I waited for my second surgery to remove the spacer and fit my endo-prosthesis.

I had this surgery on 17th February 2023. I recovered better after my second surgery than my first, but my knee did not bend properly. I still have my knee joint, so this has not been affected by my surgery, but it had seized up after being non weightbearing for five months between surgeries.

I have had physiotherapy at Addenbrooke's and attended a week's intensive physiotherapy at ROH I am hopeful my strength and mobility will improve, and I will be able to return to physical activity which I love so much.

I currently have three monthly check-ups (leg and chest x-ray) to check that the cancer hasn't returned or spread. So far, my lungs have remained clear. It looks like the cancer was removed in its entirety during the first surgery.