I #StandTogether against bone cancer, and support life-saving research, as I have four beautiful children, and I'm determined to see them all grow up.
I first started to experience pain in my left leg and hip in 2017, which doctors believed was due to compression on my spine. I visited my GP time and time again; during each visit I was given painkillers for sciatica.
This was happening for around twelve months before my diagnosis.
The week before Christmas, I was getting ready for bed when I noticed that my hip was red and swollen. I went to my local A&E department where I was sent for a CT and MRI scan of my chest and pelvis. This showed a 13cm tumour, which was crushing my pelvis and had spread to my lungs.
I had an MRI on my lower back in June 2019 and was told there was "no point" in scanning my pelvis. If only they had, perhaps I could've been diagnosed five months earlier and possibly wouldn't have lung metastasis.
After my tumour was located, my biopsy was booked in and although I was scared, I was reassured by my consultant that it was 100 per cent curable.
Fast forward to January 2020, and my biopsy results confirmed that I had stage four Ewing sarcoma. I was informed that although my disease was no longer curable, it was treatable all the same.
Having to go home and explain to my family that I had an incurable cancer after assuring them I was okay was heartbreaking.
Within two weeks of receiving my results, I had a PET scan, bone scan, echocardiogrmm, and a Hickman line fitted in my chest. The cocktail of five extremely toxic drugs began.
There was no chance for quality time with family and it was implied that I had six months to live.
My initial treatment involved 14 rounds of VDC/IE chemotherapy, with 36 sessions of proton beam therapy (PBT) radiation to my hip. This worked really well and the tumour in my hip became dormant, however, my lung metastasis started to grow.
Being an inpatient during lockdown was tough as I spent so much time away from my family.
I was then treated with cyclophosphamide/topotecan for my second regime, which I only received three rounds of as my tumours were not responding to the treatment. During regime three, gemcitabine/docetaxil, I was responding really well and decided to give my body a three-month break over Christmas.
That was the best present ever.
Please donate today to support vital research into new, kinder and more effective treatments for people with bone cancer, like me.
Unfortunately, scans in January 2021 revealed that the tumours in my lungs had grown again. I started regime four, carboplatin/etoposide, for which I received six rounds of treatment. This worked well for shrinking those nodules.
I then switched to cabozantinib, a daily tablet, which I stayed on for almost two years. This treatment shrunk the growths in my lungs considerably.
A scan in June 2024 revealed that, despite some stability and shrinkage in my lungs, the tumour in my hip which had laid dormant for four years decided to make itself known again.
As I write this, I'm hooked up to regime seven, restarting IV chemotherapy again.
I'm grateful for the people I've met along the way, including a lovely lady called Louise who was having proton beam treatment at the same time as me. We spent five days together as inpatients during lockdown and have kept in touch ever since.
I'm also very lucky to be down the road from The Christie in Manchester, where I receive treatment. They have the most incredible team there who have never given up on me.
I have tried to carry on as normal to the best of my ability. The tumour on my hip has caused nerve damage so I get around on crutches now, but I try not to let that stop me doing everything I was before.
My family have been so supportive throughout this journey. I have a wonderful fiancé, Wayne, who ferries me to my appointments and reminds me of what I've overcome to-date.
I also have four beautiful children, and I'm determined to see them all grow up and be successful in whatever path they decide to take. The love I have for my family is like a superpower that pushes me forward.
My advice to others would be to never give up and challenge the norm. Definitely stay away from Dr Google and remember you are not a statistic. You are on your own journey and need to find what works for you.
Despite it all, try and keep smiling. I know it's a cliché, but having a positive mindset really does help.
Early diagnosis is vital in preventing the disease spreading to other parts of the body, making bone cancer more manageable and treatable.