Stories of hope for the future

When I was 8, I suffered from Ewing's Sarcoma, this was in February 1990. I went first to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey, and then to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, Middlesex.

I was born in Zambia in 1965 and am the youngest of three boys. My brothers are quite a lot older than me and used to give me grief when I was little. This changed over the years and they became 'extra' fathers for me, guiding me, or trying to, through my teenage years.

At the age of 26 I was happily living my life, living with my boyfriend, working as a primary school teacher and enjoying life with friends and family. Living the life of any 26 year old girl. Then my whole world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in my left femur in April 2009 after experiencing pains in my knee.

My story begins in February 2006, (I was 18) when I started to notice an ache in my right shoulder. At the time I thought this was odd, I did not remember doing anything to cause the pain which felt like a pulled muscle. I am a very active person and so it was likely I had done something and not even realized. I was also preparing for my grade 8 Flute exam so also considered I had been practicing too much.

When I was eleven I had cancer. Since then I have had numerous operations and spent more time in hospital than anywhere else. Last year an infection generated from a dog bite resulted in the amputation of my left leg after which I was lucky enough to meet with a number of injured soldiers who have inspired me to raise funds to help those injured in the line of duty.

Hello my name is Ciara Hoolahan and I am going to share my story about me having Ewing's Sarcoma when I was just 7 and even my story after that. I am now 18 years of age but it all started back in 1995 when I was just a young girl of 7.

Having just graduated from University and now looking for employment, my time at Llandough hospital seems a distant memory away. It was back in May 2002, where I noticed a lump above my left ankle forming. Being a normal active teenager, I thought my lump was a result of a nasty tackle in football and unfortunately, I ignored the issue. It was eventually in mid August, where I saw my local GP as I developed extreme throbbing pains near the lump.

Euan's story began in March 2003 when his reception class teacher telephoned to say he was holding his right arm in a strange way. Being a nurse I took him to the hospital where I worked and asked them for an X ray. A colleague had the difficult task of telling me she thought he had Ewing's sarcoma. He was four years old.

I was first diagnosed with retinoblastoma (eye cancer) when I was a baby. I had one eye removed and radiotherapy on the other and I still have some useful vision in that eye.
But what my parents weren't told ? and perhaps this wasn't widely known then (though I do think my GP could have been a bit more switched on) - is that genetic bilateral retinoblastoma can mean you are at higher risk of having other cancers, most probably an osteosarcoma as a teenager.

When I was 26 I was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma. At the time I was living in Holland and had just started a new job and I was doing really well, so life just couldn’t get any better.

My son Jamie is a very keen, fit and talented boxer who has been boxing since he was 10 years old. He didn’t have much luck four years ago though, having a quad bike accident resulting in him breaking his wrist, he had to take two years out from boxing.

In August 2007 our oldest daughter, Katherine had just begun her first year in nursery. She was enrolled to attend 3 morning sessions per week with the intension of extending her time at school during the course of the year. She had always been a healthy and active little girl who participated in a number of activities in and around Stirling including Active Stirling's jumping beans classes and Musical Minor's in Bridge of Allan.

I had been having pain in my knee for 4 - 5 years, I went to my GP for the first time about my knee in January 2004 and he referred me directly to physio without doing any tests or x- rays, I tried that physio for about a year but due to moving house and the exercises not doing a thing I gave up.

I found a lump on my shin and after visiting the doctors twice I was referred for an x-ray and I got told I had a tumour but they needed to know if it was malignant. A biopsy confirmed I had an osteosarcoma in my shin bone and I was told that my leg may need to be amputated. I started chemo on the 7th of August 2003 and had 3 sessions before my operation on the 16th of October 2003.

My story starts way back in the spring of 1989. I was a fairly active kid and used to play football & cricket on a regular basis and I also used to be able to run like the clappers (especially when being chased round the cul-de-sac by our neighbour's adorable Alsatian) when I began to feel sharp stabbing pains in my knee.

I was 17 when I was diagnosed with bone cancer and had a below the knee amputation. That was 22 years ago now and over the years I have come to realise that I am capable of doing anything that I put my mind to. However, when I first got diagnosed I didn't really know what being an amputee would mean to me. What would I be able to do and not do?

My name is Megan and I'm 15 years old. I was diagnosed with an Osteosarcoma in November 2004. I initially went to my local Casualty as I was having difficulty walking, standing for long periods of time and getting up off the floor after assemblies. Also I would scream involuntarily if my leg was knocked.

My story starts in the autumn of 1986 when I was 13. I was a very active sportsman playing football for both school and local teams. I was also undertaking trails for Scunthorpe United junior teams. I was always getting knocks and bruises that usually healed very quickly.

I had always been well as a child; I grew very tall very quickly, way ahead of my friends. At the age of 15 I began to get terrible pains in my leg. The pain was intermittent but when it did come it was excruciating and there was nothing I could do to relieve it. This pain came and went sometimes lasting weeks; it started as a sharp tooth ache pain in my back and snaked down my leg into my foot.

I was 26 years old and happily planning my wedding when I first started getting a dull pain in my right knee. At first the pain came and went but when it became more persistent I went to my GP. He put it down to a sports injury (I was a keen salsa dancer), but eventually my knee became so swollen and red that I could barely walk and I insisted on an x-ray.

It was around March/April time in 2006 when I noticed bending down on my knees used to create a clicking noise every time I got up. I didn't think too much of that really. I just thought it was my body creaking a bit!