'Amazing' mum learns to walk again after losing leg in cancer battle months after daughter's birth

Joy Cole
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A Teesside mum has bravely shared her cancer journey - from finding a lump on maternity leave and fearing her last Christmas with her children to a daunting leg amputation - and now her return back to work.

Joy Cole noticed a small swelling starting to grow on the front of her left thigh while on maternity leave in October 2022 after giving birth to daughter Alice. The now 39-year-old was referred to undergo an MRI scan on her left leg in December 2022.

The next day, she was diagnosed with sarcoma, which is a rare type of cancer that originates from soft tissue or bone, on her left femur by her general practitioner (GP).“The GP showed me and my husband the MRI images and said the tumour was big and aggressive,” she recalled. “When we saw how big the tumour was, we both thought we were going to be told it was incurable.

“It was four days before Christmas and my mind was buzzing with thoughts about how I was going to make my last Christmas with my children special.” The radiographer was referred to the regional sarcoma specialists at Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, where she started her cancer treatment and underwent chemotherapy from January 2023.

At the end of her first ten weeks of chemotherapy, Joy’s consultant informed her that her left leg needed to be amputated due to the extent of the tumour. Devastated by the news but left with no alternative, Joy had her leg amputated on April 6, last year – the surgery was successful and achieved a disease-free margin of two centimetres around the whole tumour.

Following surgery and a further 20 weeks of intense chemotherapy sessions at Freeman Hospital and being treated for infections at University Hospital of North Tees, Joy, who worked at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, was referred to the prosthetics team at the Marton Road hospital.

Joy Cole
Joy Cole -Credit:South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Joy said: “I was surprised to be referred to prosthetics at James Cook as I had been told by my surgeon that a prosthetic leg probably would not be possible due to my amputation being so high up.

“However, the prosthetics team said that although it would be very difficult to learn to walk with and to use it, they were willing to make a leg for me if I was willing to put in the work with it. I agreed and the process was started.”

With the expert help and guidance of senior specialist physiotherapist in prosthetic rehabilitation Sally Smith, the 39-year-old started her recovery process in the hopes of being able to walk again. Sally and her team assessed Joy to see if she was suitable for a prosthesis.

Joy Cole after the life changing surgery
Joy Cole after the life changing surgery -Credit:Joy Cole

After an initial assessment by the team, Joy received the green light that she was going to get a prosthetic and was promised she would walk again – despite the surgeon saying otherwise. She said: “My walking training sessions soon became something that I looked forward to, being given the chance to learn to walk again when I did not think it would ever be possible was amazing.

“Sally and her team are amazing. I was determined to give it my best shot and pushed myself to achieve as much as I could.

“The support and encouragement I received were invaluable and I felt like I was fully supported as a person, not just a patient. I was disappointed when I was discharged and did not have to keep attending the unit, but I can always go back and visit the team since I work in the same hospital.”

Sally Smith and Joy Cole
Sally Smith and Joy Cole -Credit:South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Finally, after undergoing months of walking training sessions with a prosthesis, Joy returned to work as a radiotherapy research radiographer in September where she currently coordinates clinical trials involving radiotherapy. Sally said: “Joy was referred to us in our walking training sessions following her amputation.

"Even though she was exhausted after months of treatment, her positive outlook and determination were inspirational and made our treatment sessions with her a pleasure. She is an amazing individual and she should be so proud of herself, as we are all incredibly proud of her.”

Joy added: “Medical staff from different professions were important in allowing me to get home to my children which is where I desperately wanted to be. However, the prosthetics and physiotherapy staff at James Cook have been crucial in my recovery in a completely different way. I was physically healed before I was referred to them, but they allowed me and helped me to recover mentally.

“They helped me to realise that I was making great progress and should be proud of how far I had come. The teams were not just there for me to learn to walk, but to support me fully and I can never show them enough how grateful I am to them. The combined support and help boosted my confidence and is the reason why I am back to work today.”

Go here for the latest NHS news and breaking Teesside public health news