I was thrilled and life felt great – I was working as a journalist at BBC Radio Leeds, had a wide circle of friends and enjoyed my weekly salsa classes and horse riding. But the wedding Pete and I had planned won't be going ahead next month as planned because I've been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive bone cancer called osteosarcoma. | "After all, when this is all over, I've got a wedding to go to." | | Sally |
It’s not just my wedding that’s on hold, but my entire life. The tumour may be restricted to my knee, but cancer treatment has taken over everything. I’m undergoing a year of intensive chemotherapy and will have an operation to replace the tumour-ridden part of my leg with a metal endoprosthetic replacement. I started chemotherapy treatment in April but it feels much longer. I spend between three and four weeks out of every five lying in a hospital bed in St James', and the rest of the time sitting in a chair at home. I need a wheelchair to get around and can't even get up the stairs without running out of breath. I am unable to work and have to rely on Pete and my mum to make my meals.
 | | Sally relaxes on holiday |
In just a few months I have changed from an independent, active, lively 26-year-old to an exhausted, ill and subdued cancer patient who needs full-time care. It's a difficult adjustment to make. Although every day is a struggle and my treatment won't finish for months, I have to believe that my situation is temporary and that I will get better. The statistics say 55% of people diagnosed with primary osteosarcoma will survive over five years. They aren't the best odds in the world, but they'll do for me. After all, when this is all over, I've got a wedding to go to. | 
