Growing up at the age of 14, I was quite active and into Athletics, dance and any physical activity or sports as and so I was always scraping and banging parts of my body and so I thought it was nothing major when it all started with a lump n my left leg. Its nothing and it will soon go away so I thought to myself but then weeks turned into a month or so and the rather small lump was not so small anymore but then started growing at a pace as it started to get very hard and painful.
Worried by this I turned to my mum who then advised me to go see my GP but as he was a male doctor and the problem area was quite high on my left thigh he said he was not allowed to examine me without a nurse present so he sent me away with some painkillers and gave me an appointment for another day. Me being the school oriented young girl I was and not taking the lump seriously, I decided not to miss school and have my GP reschedule another more convenient time. Again on my second visit it was the same problem of no nurse present and was sent home again with more painkillers. At this point the lump on my leg grew harder and was more visible when I wore shorts with my skin looking red and feeling sore around the area.
On a particular life changing Friday afternoon and Al though I wasn't aware of it at the time, it was during a PE session and I was playing basketball with my classmates when all of a sudden I felt that I couldn’t run as fast as I usually did and noticed my left leg was throbbing. I remember looking down at my thigh and noticed that it was swollen and red and so I was forced to sit out of that game. Looking back on things I can actually say that was my last time of engaging in any form of sports as a matter of fact.
So later that evening at home, as my family and I prepared to go to evening service at church suddenly I felt a very sharp pain from my leg and in reflex I was forced to stand up. It was so painful that I literally crawled downstairs to my sister, her boyfriend at that time and my mum and brother came rushing in as well. It was then that my mum decided that my sister should take me to the A&E and that's pretty much where my Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer) journey began.
After spending hours at the A&E and countless X-Rays I was told to go home but then called to come back early Saturday morning and further informed to pack some clothes. After staying in the hospital a few days I was then transferred to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham for a biopsy which then confirmed the diagnosis that it was cancer. I remember the doctor talking but I phased out all I remembered was the words AGGRESSIVE, NO AMPUTATION, even then I still thought was it that serious, it didn’t sink in quite yet until I arrived in Birmingham for my surgery. In the interim, I was taken back to Manchester children’s hospital at Pendlebury. It was there my intensive chemotherapy sessions began. The plan was to have a certain block of chemo with the hope that the chemo will kill enough of the cancer cells before I proceed to then have surgery to remove the tumour. This also meant removing the whole of my leg femur from my hip to below my knee and put in a titanium prosthesis.
I look back today and I am grateful to God for everything and the fact that it all went as planned and although the chemo took its toll on me because I needed help to do the simplest of things like standing up, walk around, sit down still I tried to remain. If it were not for my family, good friends that God placed in my life during that period it would have been so much harder.
Although it didn't all end like that because then there was the aftercare another hurdle I had to cross. I remember after the drain had been taken out, the physiotherapist came to assist in getting used to my new slightly hinder mobility. On that day, I was so hard on myself because I couldn't climb up more than 2 steps and I cried and my mum had to encourage me reminding me about everything that I had just been through, and drew my attention to the fact that I was still breathing, and and still had both legs that was a gift and a testimony to God alone. I soon snapped out of it as I remembered seeing two young people of my age walk into the ward with both legs but only leaving with one. And so
after a few more weeks in Birmingham I was to return back to Manchester to finish my second block of chemo, which lasted another 3-4 months. On the last week of my chemo treatment I remember walking to the ward with my mum with the biggest grin on my face, cliché saying it but it was like that day wasn’t going to come. From diagnosis to surgery, chemo everything the whole period lasted from February to October and not once did God allow the devil to plant seed of doubt in my mind.
On beating cancer, it was a tough journey but I prayed to God to see me through, and with my family and friends rooting in my corner for me I didn’t want to let them down, I just couldn’t and I’m glad God gave me the strength to carry on despite the devils attempts.
During my monthly check-up after 12-18 of me being in remission an X-Ray revealed that the tumour had return in both lungs this was back in 2010, 2years after my first diagnoses. When my consultant broke the news to me, It felt as though my head was spinning but the world around me stood still. I had just had my high school prom was looking forward to starting College in September, making new friends and finally putting this whole cancer thing behind me, but I guess God hadn’t finish perfecting his work on me yet. I would say I was more optimistic about this round of treatment as weird as it sounds, I thought I knew all of cancers trick and but again God had other plans. Similar to my first treatment just slightly different; first block of chemo, then surgery to remove tumours in the right lung, then recuperate allow that lung to heal, carry on with the second block of chemo, then operate on the left lung to remove remaining tumour, recover then carry on with the final stage of my chemo and hopefully I’ll come out the other end cancer free, but like I said God had his own plans for me. During my treatment people people would commend me on how strong I was for a 14year old somehow I didn't see it. Nearly 5 years now in remission honestly were has the time gone. Now at age 21 and studying at the university wow God is really good. And although for whatever the reason was, I was so reluctant about writing this story, MY STORY, MY TESTIMONY, I selfishly thought
why do I need to keep reminding myself of the past let bygones be bygones. But then I randomly went on to Facebook, only to find out that one of the people I knew in hospital and who having completed his treatments experienced some complications and has since passed on RIP JOSH HALLAM. That definitely put things in perspective for me, I am alive that is a blessing and the more reason to share my story.
For anyone reading this right now and going through any sort of hardship like sickness, abuse, bullying, ANYTHING at all believe me IT WILL GET BETTER please don't give up. The bible says sorrow last only for the night but in the morning cometh Joy. I am not the holiest, but the Lord heard my cry and he can yours too. I hope in me sharing my story with you, you can have concrete proof that your story is not over yet and there still is a happiness to the ending
Peace and Love
Maria Onasanya
Proud cancer survivor
