Merseyside Nurse Undergoes Amputation After Bone Cancer misdiagnosis
Liverpool,Merseyside - A Merseyside nurse has spoken out about her experience with bone cancer after an initial “aching” pain led to a diagnosis and,ultimately,an above-the-knee amputation. Sophie,a healthcare professional herself,is sharing her story during Bone Cancer Awareness Week to raise awareness of the disease and improve early detection.
Sophie initially believed she had pulled a muscle while exercising, but the pain persisted.It wasn’t untill later that investigations revealed a diagnosis of bone cancer. Sadly, the cancer was aggressive, and doctors determined amputation was the only viable option. “There wasn’t a way they could remove it safely to leave me with a functioning leg,” she explained.
The amputation took place on December 17,2024,and Sophie described the procedure and recovery as “very smooth.” However, she found adjusting to life with a prosthetic to be “very arduous,” initially finding even short distances “exhausting.” “It’s comforting to know this is the hardest it will ever be,” Sophie said, adding, “As time goes on, I’ll get better prosthetic parts, a better socket and knee joint, things that will make it easier.”
Sophie will undergo scans every three months for the next two years to monitor for any cancer recurrence. She has returned to work in a non-clinical role and notes feeling “more emotional” following her ordeal.
She is now advocating for increased awareness of bone cancer symptoms within the healthcare system. “If sharing my story means bone cancer is spoken about more within healthcare, that’s the main thing,” Sophie stated. “I don’t assign any blame or anything, and I think it was really easy to say I was a young girl who pulled a muscle while exercising - I even made that conclusion in my own head. It’s very rare, but knowing what to look out for or knowing the signs that put bone cancer apart from any kind of muscular issue would mean people like me don’t fall through the cracks.”
Bone Cancer Awareness Week is organized by the Bone Cancer research Trust,the UK’s leading charity dedicated to fighting primary bone cancer. More information can be found at bcrt.org.uk.
