To celebrate ten years since the end of his treatment for osteosarcoma, sports-mad Adam Lever is taking a different approach to the iconic London Marathon this April.
During his treatment, Adam received limb-salvage surgery to his left leg and had to learn how to walk again... but he hasn't let it ruin his dream of running a marathon.
After working to reintroduce sports into his life, Adam knew he had to rethink how to take on the 26.2-mile run. This year, as part of his Ten for Ten challenge, he's going for it... on crutches!
Reflecting on the challenge ahead, Adam said:
I want to inspire current and former bone cancer patients and promote the belief that anything is possible. Completing a marathon was something I would have loved to have done pre-cancer, but following my operation I no longer thought this was possible. Ten years on, I found myself reflecting on the process I went through to learn how to walk again. This gave me an idea... perhaps the two things that helped me learn to walk again could support me through this challenge. Two sticks of metal were pivotal in helping me learn to walk again and they will be essential this time too.
In November 2011 Adam began to experience pain in his left knee, which he presumed was a pulled ligament from playing five-a-side football.
After several scans at his local hospital and a bone biopsy at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, Adam was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left leg.
His treatment began with two cycles of chemotherapy in 2012, which was followed by surgery to replace the affected bone with a metal prosthesis. Following the operation, Adam underwent six cycles of post-operative treatment.
In 2013, Adam began receiving clear scans and was declared cancer-free, Ten years on, he is hoping to raise an impressive £10,000 towards our vital work.
If you would like to follow Adam's training and support him, please visit his JustGiving page below:
Adam's London Marathon training
