A teenager who suddenly broke his leg during a boxing match has been diagnosed with a rare bone tumour and will have his leg amputated.
Ollie Harcombe, 16, took up boxing as soon as he could walk and trains at the gym three times a week.
In early 2022, he began experiencing occasional discomfort and a lump in his right shin, which was diagnosed as shin splints.
The boy ignored the pain and continued running five miles and going to the gym every day.
But on March 18, while sparring at a boxing gym, Ollie took a step back and broke his right shin.
He was rushed to hospital, where his leg was put in a cast, and an X-ray revealed he had a cancerous tumor in his leg and that his leg was broken.
His options were to undergo a long, painful and risky operation to remove the cancer from his leg, with a lengthy recovery period, or an above-the-knee amputation.
The sports fanatic was desperate to get back on his feet and decided amputation was his best option.
The amputation took place in a three-hour operation on May 13 and Ollie is now raising £70,000 for a high-tech prosthetic limb to help him return to the ring.
Ollie, from Smith Wood, Solihull, West Midlands, said: “The pain was terrible after I broke my leg.
“They gave me the option and I wanted to decide what was best to continue with the sport after that.
“Since my amputation I have had some dark days and nights but I think I have dealt with it as well as I can.
“I'm 100 percent sure I made the right decision.”
His mother, Kelly Bolton, 45, a personal trainer, said: “My son was a very active child from a very young age.
“The day before he broke his leg he ran five miles.
“Ollie quickly realised that having the amputation would allow him to continue boxing and would also reduce the chances of the cancer returning.”
Ollie was sparring at Acocks Green Boxing Gym on March 18th.
As he stepped back, his right shin suddenly snapped, even though there was no physical contact with his leg.
Doctors quickly realised that the fracture could easily have been caused by an impact injury, and feared the worst.
He was rushed to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham where a scan revealed a “depression” in his tibia – a weakening of the bone – which caused the fracture.
A biopsy was performed and the boy had his entire leg put in a cast.
“He was suffering from what appeared to be shin splints,” Kelly said.
“He would occasionally complain that his legs were a bit sore after a run or gym session, but that was it.”
He returned to school in a wheelchair while doctors called the family to let them know the results of the biopsy.
It turned out he had adamantinoma, a rare bone cancer that had been slowly weakening his bones for years.
The cancer was untreatable with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy, leaving doctors with only two options.
Doctors revealed they could remove the cancer and reconstruct his leg, but it would be a 14-hour operation and there would be a risk of the cancer returning, meaning Ollie would have to wear a leg brace for 18 months.
The other option was to have an above-knee amputation at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, but Ollie felt that this would allow him to return to the ring much quicker.
He said: “By the time they explained the decision, I had already made up my mind to amputate.
“And once I found out that there was a chance the cancer would come back if I kept my leg, I knew I had to have my leg removed.”
On May 13, he underwent surgery and was promised that his amputated limbs would be donated to science for further research into the disease.
After the operation, Ollie was in so much pain he “screamed, begged and hyperventilated”.
“I had a panic attack and thought I was going to die,” he said.
But over time he began to recover and is now looking into getting back in the ring and boxing again.
As Ollie continued his research, he became fascinated with cutting edge bionic prosthetics made by Ottobock.
With the Genium X3, he'll be able to play the sports he loves, including boxing, and adapt to his movements.
The family are trying to raise £70,000 to give their son a leg of his own, but are only half way there yet.
Ollie, who will sit his GCSEs later this year once he has recovered, said: “Having this leg means the world to me – I can do everything other people can do and more.”
“I want to run marathons and do different things to raise money. That's what motivates me.”
“Losing my leg has given me a new lease on life. I want to prove that I can do what others can do.”
“I want to show people that losing a leg isn't the end of the world.”
Originally published on Talker News
