Hello! I'm Becky, a 20-year-old music student in my final year of studies at Bath Spa University. 

In 2018, during my GCSEs, I found a lump on my right shin. After getting it checked out at my local hospital, I was told that my case was too extreme for their care and that I was to be transferred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore, London, for further treatment. 

After some investigation, I was diagnosed with a rare type of bone tumour (<1% of all bone tumour cases) inside my right tibia. This [pretty scary!] diagnosis at a pivotal time in my teenage years left me in a lot of pain and with compromised mobility; causing me to eventually become a walking stick user. At age 16, the tumour had meant that I wasn't even able to walk to the end of my street without a mobility aid - something which knocked my confidence greatly. 

In September 2018, I underwent an 8-hour major surgery to remove the tumour and reconstruct my tibia with a bone graft and metal implants. Although recovery was not easy; the specialist knowledge, facilities, and care that RNOH provide made my time as an inpatient as comfortable as possible, and above all, allowed me to have my life back. 

In the years following my surgery, I slowly regained my mobility, and in 2021, I got to a stage in rehabilitation where I was able to take up running! ...I soon completed my first 5k (which was a HUGE accomplishment for me), and I have kept running as a hobby ever since. 

...Unfortunately, towards the end of 2022, I started getting pain in my right tibia again. This was followed by finding another lump in my shin, which is sadly believed to be a second tumour. This summer, (2023), as I graduate from university, I will be undergoing a second invasive surgery to remove the new tumour - which will shatteringly,  put me back to square 1 in my mobility progress. 

With no guarantee of how well I will recover from this next surgery, or how long it will be until I can (hopefully) take up running again,  I want to make the most of my mobility whilst I can!

SO...

On the 4th of June 2023 (before my next tumour removal surgery), I will be challenging myself to run the Bath Two Tunnels Half Marathon in aid of the incredible Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, and the truly life-changing work they do to rebuild the lives of patients with complex bone tumours and sarcomas! 

This is a distance far longer than any I have run before, so I will be training incredibly hard to build up my strength and stamina before the event. With the added challenge of doing this with a tumour weakening my leg, any sponsorship support for my challenge and the incredible work of the RNOH would be hugely appreciated. 

About the "RNOH Making the Impossible Possible" campaign: 

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital has been doing the impossible for over 100 years by rebuilding people's lives when they face complex orthopaedic conditions or injury. They're doing things that no other hospital can. That's what makes this hospital extraordinary. But being extraordinary needs extra investment. We need to raise more than £1 million every single year to keep funding the pioneering care, treatment and research at RNOH that makes the impossible possible for people every day.

Your support today means that RNOH can rebuild peoples lives when they face complex orthopaedic conditions or injuries, and help strengthen and support the work of RNOH as a world-class centre for orthopaedic medicine.

The RNOH Charity strengthens the vital work of the RNOH on an ongoing basis by providing extra services and facilities that are beyond the reach of the hospital’s NHS budget. 

There’s so much your donation could do.

• £10 could help buy materials for a therapy and rehabilitation session
• £25 could help us continue providing the best possible treatment and care for RNOH patients  
• £50 could contribute towards the transformation of our spinal cord injury day room
• £100 could help us ensure our world-leading clinicians have pioneering equipment
• £500 could help fund ground-breaking research into the treatment of bone cancer

Thank you so much for your support. 

-Becky x