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
FROZEN IN TIME LIGHTHOUSE

This frozen lighthouse in Michigan could easily be mistaken for a still from the snow swept disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow .

FIGHTING BLACKBACK GORILLAS

FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .

WOMAN LOSES 8ST AFTER DITCHING CURRY ADDICTION

A woman who was addicted to eating curries has shed an impressive 8st after giving up her favourite food .

CARE HOME STAFF ALLOWED BOY TO DIE BECAUSE OF HEALTH AND SAFETY FEARS

The family of a disabled boy who died in a tragic accident at a care home have received a four figure payout after an inquest heard carers allowed him to fall rather than restrain him because of "health and safety" fears .

LONDON 2012: FUNNY OLYMPIC BAGS SAY 'THEY'RE ALL ON STEROIDS

While the various controversies rumble on regarding transport, security issues and overly-officious copyright enforcement, a couple of designers is saying what we're all thinking about the Olympics - and putting it on bags .

AMAZING 3D DRAWINGS

THIS may look like a dolphin through jumping hoops, but it is in fact nothing more than a clever 3D pencil drawing .

TRANSGENDER WOMAN SPENDS £25K TO BECOME BEAUTY QUEEN

A transgender woman has beaten the bullies after spending £25K on surgery to become a beauty pageant queen .

RELAXING SNOW MONKEY

WITHOUT A care in the world, this little snow monkey puts his feet up and settles in for a snooze .

UNUSUAL PUB AND BARBERS

A unique business in Birkenhead, Merseyside is sure to leave you HALF-CUT with its unusual pub and barbers combination .

UNDERGROUND CHIC

Full of tired and busy commuters, these underground stations are rarely admired for their architecture or beauty .

SQUIRRELS SQUABBLE OVER LUNCH

SQUABBLING over the last piece of grain, these hungry squirrels are determined to stock up on as much food as possible .

WOMAN REVEALS HER 9-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER SUFFERED HORRIFIC BURNS TO 20% OF HER BODY AFTER KNOCKING SCALDING BOTTLE WARMER OVER HERSELF AT DAYCARE

A mother-of-three has revealed how her nine-month-old daughter was severely burnt after knocking a scalding bottle warmer over herself at daycare .