NINE YEAR OLD GIRL'S 'PULLED MUSCLE' TURNS OUT TO BE CANCER
A nine year old girl nearly lost her leg after doctors initially misdiagnosed her bone cancer as a pulled muscle. Brave nine-year-old Hannah Baker was left in agony as a 22cm tumour grew on her left leg, but was told it was just a sports injury after visiting her GP. Two weeks later when the pain got worse, her concerned parents Paul, 36, and Shim, 35, rushed her back to her doctor who recommended an x-ray of the youngster's leg, which revealed the huge tumour on her femur. Mum Shim believes had the tumour not been caught early in April this year, it could have proved fatal. She said: “Hannah had been doing lots of sports and complained that her leg was aching. "She didn’t compete in the school cross country and I noticed as she walked back from watching it she was moving strangely.... SEE HOTSPOT COPY 0121 551 1004 “I picked her up to put her in my lap and she screamed. "The doctor and us thought she had just pulled a muscle and we went away with painkillers. "It was just luck we found it and acted so quickly but we never thought for a moment it could be cancer. "We went back two weeks later and the GP suggested we go for an X-ray to be on the safe side. “Three hours later Hannah and I were told they had found a tumour. In two weeks we had gone from having a healthy little girl to her having cancer. "We were left numb and speechless. "We thought we're going to wake up in a minute from all this but we just had to stay strong and be there for each other." Hannah’s older sister Emily, 11, and the family from Clee St Margaret, Shropshire, were distraught as they awaited to find out how badly the osteosarcoma tumour had grown. After a nervous few weeks (how many weeks?) of chemotherapy Hannah’s treatment was successful but she faced losing the leg altogether.
Other great stories
THE SECRET LIFE OF SQUIRRELS
PICKING up a tiny tea-pot with its paws, a little red squirrel struggles to prepare its morning tea .
VIBRANT WOODPECKER FEEDS HER YOUNG
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .
ROAD KILL ON THE MENU
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
BRITISH BEACH-LIFE SPLIT SHOTS
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
RESCUE TURTLES OPEN WIDE FOR DINNER
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
TEST COULD HAVE SAVED ME FROM CERVICAL CANCER AT 20
A young woman has told how she has been robbed of her fertility and now faces an uncertain future after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of just 22 .
IT'S BEHIND YOU: PHOTOGRAPHER IN WALES IGNORES GIANT WAVES
Southern England, the south-west and west Wales have been warned to expect more wild weather, with heavy rain and high tides possibly leading to coastal flooding and travel disruption over the weekend .
UNUSUAL ANIMAL FRIENDSHIP
SAT happily on the branch of a tree, this little frog appears unfazed by a surprise visitor .
RIVET-ING ALL WOOD TOWER
WELCOME to what could be the world's tallest TOTALLY wooden construction .
BRAVE LEOPARD BEFRIENDS A CROC
A brave leopard kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine - just inches from an enormous crocodile .