'I had 50 operations after childhood cancer - but I refuse to let it stop me'

A Leeds cancer survivor had to learn to walk again after gruelling treatment - and has undergone more than 50 operations.

Ryann Lambert-Tuthill, of New Farnley, was one of the youngest patients in the UK to ever have a femur replaced with a titanium bone.

His parents Nick and Wendy first noticed something was wrong when Ryann was just 22 months old and his left leg became swollen.

An X-ray led to Ryann being admitted to Leeds General Infirmary before he was transferred to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham.

He was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer.

His treatment included chemotherapy and, six months later, major surgery to replace his femur with a titanium bone.

The procedure was considered experimental at the time and doctors were not convinced it would work on such a young child.

By summer 1994, three-year-old Ryann had finished his final round of chemotherapy.

He then faced months of physiotherapy and had to learn to walk again. The way his bone had cemented meant he could not bend his leg properly, forcing him to adapt to walking with a straight leg.

Twelve years ago, Ryann underwent another major operation, having muscle moved from his back to his leg to improve his mobility and allow him to bend his leg slightly.

Once again, he had to learn to walk.

Now 35, Ryann has had more than 50 operations since his diagnosis and uses a crutch because of a dropped foot caused by nerve damage.

He has also suffered three major infections since 2008 and fears he could eventually lose his leg.

But the finance worker, who grew up in Otley, says he has never allowed his mobility to stop him living life to the full.

He and wife Emily enjoy travelling and are aiming to visit 40 countries before they both turn 40.

Ryann said: “The biggest side effect of my treatment and the numerous operations has always been my mobility.

“Growing up it was tricky being excluded from sports at school and I wasn’t able to play anything competitively. The only sport I was able to do was swimming. I love swimming and I still do this now.

“As I have got older, I have had to adapt my life and accept that I’m not able to do certain things due to my mobility.

“I have always walked with a limp but that's just the ordinary for me.

“It has been tough, but I've not known anything different throughout my life and my current health is great.

“I don't really see the negatives of the side effects. I try to look at the positives in life and live life to the full.”

Ryann has now set up an Instagram page, @thereislifeaftercancer, to promote life after cancer and help others.

His story comes as Cancer Research UK urges people across Yorkshire to support research into childhood cancers during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Around 180 children are diagnosed with cancer in Yorkshire and the Humber every year.

St James’s University Hospital in Leeds is among centres across the UK involved in clinical trials into childhood cancers.

Cancer Research UK says that while survival rates have more than doubled since the 1970s, children can be left with long-term side effects from treatment.

The charity is urging people to support its research by donating or buying a gold ribbon pin badge from Cancer Research UK shops.

Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Yorkshire, said: “Cancer is different in children and young people - from the types of cancer that affect this age group, to the long-term effects of treatment.

“So, it needs a different and dedicated approach.

“We’re urging people across the region to get behind our scientists’ efforts to ensure more children and young people like Ryann live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”