A Darlington woman is getting ready to walk down the aisle 15 years after cancer nearly took her life as a child.
Lilli Broadbent, 28, from Darlington, was diagnosed with bone cancer osteosarcoma when she was just 13 years old.
Now Lilli is planning her wedding to fiancee George Kenyon and is urging people to support a new campaign by Cancer Research UK that shines a light on the invaluable impact that cancer breakthroughs have on the lives of people like her.
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The 28-year-old was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in March 2008 after she had swelling in her knee.
She was immediately referred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle for an X-ray, which showed there was a tumour on her knee.
A biopsy at the Freeman Hospital confirmed that she had cancer and worse still that she may lose her leg.
Lilli, a former Hummersknott school pupil, underwent 11 weeks of chemotherapy and a nine-hour operation to remove the tumour.
In order to save her leg, she needed to have a titanium rod fitted through her leg from top to bottom and a majority of her knee replaced.
After a period of recovery, Lilli returned to the RVI to complete her chemotherapy and was given the all-clear in December 2008.
Lilli, who now works for Christian Aid, said: “I was a very sporty teenager, so we just put it down to a Tae Kwon Do injury, but the pain didn’t go away and I started to lose a lot of weight, so my parents took me to the GP.
“When I was first diagnosed the immediate fear was that I was about to lose my leg. But the medical team were able to save my leg and my life.
"Sadly, some of the friends that I met on the ward didn’t make it, so I’m determined that I make the most of my life for them and their families too.”
For Lilli, life had barely begun when she was diagnosed.
But since then, she has completed a degree in Educational Studies, bought a house and got engaged.
Lilli, who met George while at university in York, added: “I was discharged from all annual check-ups in 2020, so now cancer is in my past. The only reminder is the pain I get in my leg and some arthritis in my other leg.
"This was expected as a result of that leg taking the strain for so long. I use a stick when I need to and have physio, but it won't stop me from walking towards my fiancé in the spring.”
Lilli and George, who got engaged at Edinburgh Castle in February 2022, will be married at Durham Cathedral in April next year and Lilli recently found the perfect dress, to go alongside her signature Dr Martens.
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Lilli said: “I’ve loved Dr Martens boots since college, but they were actually recommended by my leg surgeon as they were sturdy and supportive.
"I’ve been wearing them ever since and I have the perfect white pair for our wedding.
“I’m incredibly lucky to have been given these opportunities thanks to research. I still have moments where I remember that I had cancer and can’t quite believe it.
"Also, the older I get the more I’m starting to see my diagnosis from my parents’ perspective and how scary it must have been for them. But I hope to show people that there is life after cancer because of research.”
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