Tom Carter
"When I was 19, during indoor winter cricket training, I began getting a pain in my knee and this prevented me from running and bowling. It was thought that the pain was ligament damage because it’s common in a young boy who plays a lot of sport.
"I went to see a NHS physiotherapist and had about five weeks treatment. However, the pain increased until it got to a stage where I was taking painkillers every four hours and walking became very difficult.
"My dad decided to take me to a private sports physio he knew in Cardiff. The physio, took one look at my knee and said that he wasn't going to touch it and he wanted me to go for an MRI scan because he could see there was a real problem. He told my dad that we could wait three months for a scan on the NHS or pay for a scan privately the following week. My dad opted to go ahead with the private scan, wanting to get me fit again as soon as possible.
"The following week, I was told that there was lesion on the tibia and it could be a bone cyst, the best case, or osteosarcoma, which would be the worst case. I went to see a specialist in Newport Gwent hospital for an x-ray on the following Wednesday and then a biopsy was booked in at Birmingham for the following Tuesday. However, on the Saturday in between, when I was at the cricket club, my tibia fractured. I had the biopsy as planned and a week later the results came in and it was confirmed that it was a osteosarcoma.
"Before starting chemotherapy, I had to have blood and kidney tests, which was bad enough, but chemo really knocked me for six. During my first two courses, spanning August to October, I lost three stone and felt ill and could not eat properly. When we went for my review and we given good news– the chemo had killed 99.9% of the tumour, but we were also told that they would not be able to save my leg.
"I was told that there were two methods of surgery – amputation or metal implant. I favoured amputation over the metal implant for a few reasons – mainly because once the leg has gone, the tumour has gone with it, whereas with the implant, there is a chance the tumour might still be there.
"I was given a week off from chemo before my operation and after the operation, I was a completely different person. I found my appetite again, having a McDonald's breakfast every morning in my hospital room for seven days! Even when I got home, and had the last of my chemo, I was eating and the chemo wasn't making me sick or ill at all. During all this time, even after losing my leg, I never lost the desire to return and play cricket again. It's what had kept me positive, knowing that one day, I would be doing what I've done since I was six.
"When I finished my fourth chemo treatment, I started physiotherapy to try and walk on a prosthetic leg. At first, it was very difficult because throughout the treatment and operation, I was non-weight bearing on my left leg, so I hadn't walked for over one and a half years. I had 3 months of physio and when discharged I was walking with sticks. I started walking with one stick and then, with no walking aid at all. As soon as I was walking with no help, I was back focusing on cricket training. I also took up golf, because it's a sport where you don't have to have much mobility.
"Since playing cricket again, I've played about nine matches. During one of those matches I had the ‘Genium’ prosthetic leg on trial. I scored 59 not out, so the leg had definitely helped! I also found it made a massive difference to my golf game, as the leg had a special ‘golf mode’ which was amazing. But the most important thing about the Genium leg was with my everyday walking, it was like a natural walk again."