Her mum, Helga, kindly shares their story.
Lucy has always been a very sporty and active child. She was a member of several clubs and sports teams at her school and particularly enjoyed the 'daily mile' exercise activity.
However, in January 2021, during one of one day's miles, Lucy experienced severe pain in her leg.
Lucy tearfully informed her teacher that her leg ached too much for her to take part.
As a nurse and breast cancer survivor, I immediately made a GP appointment to get Lucy checked over. I noticed a hard lump in Lucy's thigh which led me to suspect something serious was wrong.
The GP, sensing a potential issue, called the paediatric emergency assessment ward to request an x-ray. My fears were confirmed when the x-ray revealed a mass in Lucy's leg.
After a quick flash of the x-ray on screen, I knew the bone didn't look normal and I started to fear the worst.
Lucy was advised to avoid putting weight on her leg and was provided with crutches for support. She was referred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore for further tests, including a bone biopsy and chest CT, where she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
Lucy's treatment started within three weeks of her diagnosis and involved chemotherapy at Addenbrooke's Hospital, followed by limb-salvage surgery at RNOH.
During her procedure, Lucy received a growing prosthetic with the largest predicted growth capacity the hospital had ever implanted, owing to her young age and anticipated height.
The surgery went well, and Lucy's surgeon even marked her leg with a rocket because Lucy said during her anaesthetic she wanted to fly to the moon.
As Lucy was in hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was pretty isolated. She had some amazing play therapy that kept her going and the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and physiotherapist helped Lucy get to school when she could.
Throughout the whole experience, Lucy wanted to keep occupied. She found Abbie Has Osteosarcoma, a children's storybook provided by the Bone Cancer Research Trust, particularly helpful.
The transition from an active child to a cancer patient was difficult for Lucy, who felt angry and frustrated at being unable to participate in the sports and activities she loved.
During her hospital stay, Lucy was sent messages of support from her classmates and friends via electronic post-it notes to her laptop. This really made a difference and helped her through the difficult times.
Alongside the post-it notes Lucy's dog, Arlo, provided immense comfort and companionship whilst she was at home recovering between chemotherapy cycles.
Arlo would sit on Lucy's leg during treatment and then, when treatment was over, he stopped. We also have Remy, who is a rescue dog. Both of them are whippets.
Lucy has since finished treatment and now, age 11, she receives 4-month scans and regular physiotherapy.
As a parent of a bone cancer patient, my advice is to trust your instinct as a parent and advocate for your child. We were lucky to get a quick diagnosis and treatment.
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