Mum lost leg to 'injury' that was actually cancer

A mum had her lower leg amputated and part of her right lung removed after a “running injury” turned out to be stage four cancer.

- Hannah Van De Peer [e-mail]

Christine Lote, 41, was an avid runner before her mystery injury, which left her with a swollen right foot.

Assuming she'd hurt herself while out jogging, she saw a physiotherapist for two years and received steroid injections.

But after the birth of her daughter, Sophie, three, in June 2021, she had a routine ultrasound on her foot while in Southmead Hospital, Bristol - which revealed a large mass on her bone.

In January 2022, a biopsy confirmed the mass was cancerous - and after a failed attempt to remove it, the only option left was to amputate the leg below the knee in May 2023.

After one year cancer-free, a routine MRI showed Christine’s cancer had returned - this time in both lungs.

Now the mum-of-two feels like she’s “living on borrowed time” and she's determined to make the most of her young family for as long as she can.

Christine, a solicitor, from Bristol, said: “To be honest, I was so scared when I was diagnosed - now I don’t feel like I can let myself plan too far ahead. As the mum of a young family, I hope to live to see my daughters go to school. But I’m very much living my life in three-month chunks - between each scan.”