Turning pain to purpose: Sandy shares on journey overcoming bone cancer

 For as long as she can remember, Sandy had never had any major health issues... Until the day she noticed a lump below her knee.

"I noticed a lump on my leg; it was hard and just at one spot," she said.

 It got progressively worse to a point she sought medical intervention.

"It was getting bigger ... I went to Kangundo Hospital they told me it's soft tissue and that it would go away, then they gave me Kaluma to apply. The ointment was making it worse.. I sought medical attention elsewhere. I went to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital; there they ran tests they found that the lump had cancerous cells..."

Hearing the words, "you have cancer" caught her offguard.

She didn't know much about cancer, she says. No one in her family had a history of cancer.

"I was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma...It's another term for bone cancer."

Sandy collected herself and began approaching treatment with a positive mindset.

" Chemo was so hard....The side effects were terrible... Some people don't make it out of chemo. I lost weight; I got Covid-19, my hair fell off..."

After chemo, she learnt that she would lose her left leg to the bone cancer she had been battling for months. It was a hard decision to make. It would require. physical rehabilitation and emotional adjustment."

" I asked myself so many questions."

After the amputation, Sandy says she experienced pain in the part of the limb that was no longer there. This sensation is referred to as phantom limb pain.

"It is extremely painful."

During quiet moments, a kind nurse at the hospital would encourage Sandy.

"He told me it was for the best that I would now live a healthy life."

Although she was grateful that the tumor had been removed, returning to finish her chemotherapy this time on crutches was difficult.

" It was so hard, but when they ran tests they found the cancer was gone..."

After treatment, Sandy now goes for follow up exams and tests.

Sandy shares her story,  to be a bridge for others to have hope. Sandy has worked hard to adjust to her new normal and she is now living a full life. Today she is a social media sensation with a massive following on Tik Tok.

"Diamond reposted my video and then Zuchu."

"Life can change any moment. Inever imagined that I would lose my leg but here I am now... But even without this leg I'm still me. I can still do all the things I love doing..."

While many have been inspired by Sandy's story she has experienced online bullying as well.

"There are people who find it offensive that I dance with one leg; they think that I'm showing off. I wonder what is there to show off? Others question whether I can have a normal relationship. What does my leg have to do with that?"

Sandy now needs a prosthetic limb. The use of the prosthesis can help the user to get around more easily by reacquiring their mobility.

"I need a prosthetic limb so that I can go back to school because the distance I walk to school is quite far..."

Oncologists say osteogenic sarcoma is a rare cancer which tends to occur in children and young adults.

Dr Andrew Odhiambo said, "This is a type of bone cancer that begins in the cells that form bones. Osteosarcoma most often occurs in the long bones that make up the arms and legs, although it can occur in any bone"

"The exact cause of osteosarcoma is not known, but it is believed to be due to DNA mutations inside bone cells—either inherited or acquired after birth."

 Treatment typically involves surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Sandy says the experience, how she dealt with the diagnosis and the journey thereafter has given her a new perspective on life.

" For all who loved me through all of this and still love me as I am, I am grateful."

Sandy says the journey has awakened courage and  confidence  inside her that makes her want to live big, bold and intentional every day.