A man who was diagnosed with cancer on his 14th birthday made an astonishing recovery.
Callum Flynn, now 28, was initially told he had an infection, despite his right leg being locked at a 90-degree angle. He was only 12 when symptoms began and he received the devastating diagnosis of osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) on March 12, 2009 – his 14th birthday.
The diagnosis brought Callum to tears and he thought he was going to die. However, the keen cricketer was able to resume playing the sport within 18 months, having had a titanium knee fitted.
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Since then, he has gone on to win the World Cup as captain of the England Physical Disability cricket team. Now, amid Sarcoma Awareness Month, the dad-of-one from Leigh, Wigan, wants to share his story to inspire others with cancer – or relatives of those diagnosed with cancer – to never give up on their dreams regardless of circumstances.
Speaking to the Mirror, Callum said: "I think, kids especially, just need to accept that you can give up for a little while, because you're not going to go through life without failing at some point. Success doesn't come without failure. You have to fail, and you have to adapt, and then find a way to then succeed, and that's where the success comes from.
"That's whether they're going through cancer, or whatever, because at certain times in hospital, I just wanted to die.
"I just wanted to give up a few times as it just got too much. Cricket was the hope for me.
"I always had cricket in the back of my mind. I always wanted to get back playing and that and that kept me going really."
Callum added: "I instantly cried. "Obviously as a young kid, you hear 'cancer' and you instantly think of death, right?
"That's probably the only thing you relate to cancer when you're young. You don't often hear many positive stories coming from cancer.
"So instantly I sort of went into defence mode and got a bit upset, and asked if I was going to die because I thought it. My doctor was amazing. She calmed me down straightaway and said 'we caught it early enough and the cancer is not growing'.
"But it was tough. I'd never had any injuries. I've still not really had any injuries now.
"I was playing all sports. I was trialling for Lancashire Cricket Club at the time. Cricket was my main sport then and it's still now, but I played rugby, and badminton as well so it was difficult."
The teenager had seven months of chemotherapy and a full titanium knee replacement, after appointments at the NHS' Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in Birmingham, around 100 miles away from his family home in Salford, Greater Manchester. His recovery was so astonishing that he returned to competitive cricket within 18 months and had successful trials with England Physical Disability team soon afterwards.
His love for cricket reignited and, in 2015 – just six years after his crushing diagnosis, Callum led his side to World Cup glory in Bangladesh. Becoming a cricketer was Callum's childhood dream, one he thought was dashed entirely after the devastating cancer news as a boy.
Callum, who is now training to become a cricket coach, added: "I started playing cricket again in 2010. It was probably August, or September in 2010 when I felt confident enough to try and run on my own. I had the titanium knee replacement and had it redone in 2012, only because it was causing some issues. But since then, it's been absolutely superb.
"I mean, I've probably not had a cancer check-up for six years, maybe seven years, because the hospital was so happy with the way the recovery was going, and was pretty confident with how I was. I think I would like to have another check-up at some stage, just because it's always in the back of your mind.
"You always see cancer adverts on the telly and you see cancer stories on the telly. You always hear about people who get rediagnosed with cancer, so to speak.
"Medicine is great too, as well? It will be frightening to see what they can do in 20 or 30 years' time as well. The NHS has been absolutely amazing."
Callum has been captain of the England Physical Disability cricket team for nearly 10 years, during which time the side has visited Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and other countries to compete in the World Cup. Callum said he hopes the sport will continue to grow in the same way women's cricket has. He is taking inspiration from the England women's cricket team, who narrowly lost out in The Ashes to Australia earlier this month.
Callum Flynn is sharing his story for the Bone Cancer Research Trust’s Sarcoma Awareness Month campaign this July. The global initiative was set-up to raise vital awareness of sarcomas, which have seen little improvements to treatments and survival rates in the past forty years.
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