A Step into the Unknown

Photographed by Ceridwen Hughes

Sarah Dransfield was just an ordinary teenager who was 16 and making plans when she started to experience pain in her leg. It was January 2012 and she had just returned from holiday with her family when she first noticed it start to hurt. She told her dad who suggested maybe it was a strain or she had 'sat funny'. She dismissed the pain but it continued to get worse. Over a few months she started taking more and more painkillers in the hope it would improve but it just got worse. Eventually she made an appointment and went to the doctors, who suggested it was a pulled muscle. She was told to continue with the painkillers. Sarah visited a physiotherapist who also initially suggested it was due to a growth spurt but on a second visit he became more concerned as he noticed her leg had started to turn in. He was concerned enough to suggest she pay for a private MRI so that there was not a delay. The family talked it through as it was such an expensive test but it was decided that she should book the scan. After the scan they gave her a disk and told her to give it to her physio which she did and thought nothing more about it. The next day her mother got a call that changed their lives forever. "The physio told mum that I had cancer which was so hard for her to hear. Her and my dad picked me up from college, which I remember as being strange. They did not tell me about the diagnosis at that point, they just said I needed to go to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for another X-ray. At this point they were distraught but kept it hidden from me." "We went into see the doctors where they told me they had confirmed I had cancer. All I remember is being really upset and them passing me loads of tissues. The doctor didn't actually have the answers because it's quite a rare cancer that I had. Initially they hoped they might be able to remove just the cancerous sections of the bone but there was always this fear they might need to amputate. It was so much to take in not just the fact I had cancer but might actually lose my leg too." Following the diagnosis the family faced an anxious wait before going to a specialist hospital, in Birmingham, for a biopsy which diagnosed osteosarcoma. For anyone getting that diagnosis it is hard, however, Sarah was only 16 years old and as such she did not know anyone else with cancer. The family really struggled with the diagnosis particularly when they discovered the treatment was extremely intensive.

Image courtesy of Sarah Dransfield

"I woke up after my amputation, and I really just didn't want to look at my leg. It was strange because I went down to surgery kicking and screaming and yet when I woke up I felt like a different person. The tumour had been taking away so many nutrients and I just felt so much better once it had gone. I remember thinking ‘I'm here, I am still alive.’ It was only two days until I was up on crutches and able to leave hospital." Initially the thought of losing her hair was a real challenge for Sarah and it was the thing that upset her the most in the early days of treatment. Everything moved quite quickly from that point. "I had a port fitted. It went down over my collarbone and down to my heart. It was a really awful regime which meant being in hospital for five days, going home for two days then coming back in. It was really tough and I was very scared." Being on a teenage cancer ward was of great help to Sarah. Initially seeing others of a similar age undergoing treatment was difficult but she soon appreciated the shared experience. Her mum stayed with her but she still felt isolated. It was a long way for friends to travel and at that time it was before social media was used as widely as it is now, and so it was hard to maintain contact. Sadly despite the treatment she was told she needed to have an amputation. Initially she fought against this advice but came to realise it was her only option if they were going to save her life. Sarah had one day at home and then had to resume her chemotherapy. She had been through a life changing surgery but had to continue with an exhausting treatment regime so she did not have much time to process it all. She had to relearn how to walk and it really affected her confidence. Initially she tried to hide her leg and would wear long trousers to disguise it. "I didn't want people to know. I was quite ashamed, which is

For more information www.lauracranetrust.org www.limbpower.com awful. It took me a couple of years to feel happy in my skin. I went to an event in about 2015 and met other amputees which really helped me change my attitude. I met and made some really great friends there who understand what I am going through. I can get some bad sores off the prosthetic and they understand and we support each other." Sarah had chemotherapy for nearly a year in total because after her amputation she was told some of the cancer had spread to her lungs, which required her to undertake another operation, this time to remove the cancer from her lungs. Following treatment, she had regular check ups and as time has gone by, her fear has changed from being scared about it reoccurring to concerns over the damage done by the treatment. The uncertainty is scary but then having cancer has also made me live my life to the full. Five years ago I went on a TV program called Blind Dates and met my boyfriend Phil. We are still together and have bought a campervan so we can travel and have more adventures. I like to think I am an advocate for disability. I have learned to love life and aim to make the most of every day.

Image courtesy of Sarah Dransfield

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer, which mostly affects children and young adults under 20.

It tends to grow in long bones such as the femur. It causes pain in the bone, which may be worse at night. A lump or swelling may form."

Sarah Dransfield

Photographed by Ceridwen Hughes