Essex boy learning to walk again after life-changing rare cancer diagnosis

A young Essex boy had his life 'turned upside down' after discovering he had a rare bone cancer, which left him needing a wheelchair. Benfleet teenager Aiden Waller, 15, is now focused on getting better and figuring out a new way of enjoying life after his gruelling cancer battle that has left him learning to walk again.

Aiden discovered there was something wrong during a football match. “I was playing football, and I was a goalie. My whole body was used to being bashed by footballs,” he said, “When a ball hit my leg, I felt tremendous pain. I’d never felt a pain like that in my life.”

The pain did not go away for over two weeks, and Aiden and his parents sought medical help, but even getting a diagnosis was not straightforward. Aiden was first told he had a vitamin D deficiency and, two days later, a muscle tear. But his mum Sarah soon noticed this couldn't not be right. She said: “Aiden came out of school and he literally could not walk. He was in unbearable pain.”

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It was then that they noticed a lump on Aiden's leg. Going to an appointment for an MRI scan and an x-ray with his Nan, doctors quickly discovered that he had osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, in his femur. Sarah said: “I felt bad for my mum, she was told, but didn’t want to be the one to tell me. Our lives have been turned upside down. Nothing is the same as it was then. There is not one thing about our lives that is the same now.”

For Aiden, the biggest changes are that he now uses a wheelchair or crutches to walk, and that he is now homeschooled. "He had this amazing contraption, it was a little robot that sat in class, and Aiden could participate from home, Sarah said.

But Aiden's battle had only just begun, and the cancer was found to have spread first to his pelvis and then to his lung. This meant that at just the age of 14 he had a hip and knee replacement, which has meant he now has to learn to walk again. Aiden is now taking a trial drug after a good response to chemotherapy. His family has to apply to get on to the trial, and just a month's worth of tables costs £5,000.

'I just want to wander the earth'

Being homeschooled, Aiden is determined to get back into mainstream education and has applied to go to college next year, with a particular interest in animation. Balancing his studies with his medical procedures, Aiden has also been involved in charity work to raise money for researching his rare cancer. Having been supported by Bone Cancer Research Trust, Aiden and his mum wanted to give something back.

After putting a call out for stamps, used by the trust to raise money, Aiden got at least 200 cards and letters from people across the world. “We had someone send us a card from Australia.” After getting a soar in post, Aiden and his mum tipped the cards and letters out to open them. “It filled my whole bed,” said Aiden. “I do really like it. Not because it’s for me, but because those people came together to do something so little, but causes such a big difference.”

Although his cancer has meant that he can never go on a bouncy castle or a trampoline again, he is not going to let his cancer stop him from doing new things. Aiden is considering making an animation of his story and has big plans for his future. Thinking on what he’’ll do when he is cancer free and out of his wheelchair, Aiden says: “I just want to wander the Earth.”

If you would like more information about the different types of primary bone cancer and tumour, visit the Bone Cancer Research Trust website: www.bcrt.org.uk/information. You can also access their free Support & Information Service on 0800 111 4855 or by emailing support@bcrt.org.uk.

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