Amy on how art therapy helped her forget her pain

My leg had been feeling a bit funny, like I’d pulled a muscle. But I wasn’t too worried about it.

From a climbing date to a cancer diagnosis

One night, I went on a date with a guy to an indoor climbing wall. It was our third date and I was excited to try climbing for the first time. Honestly, I was like Spiderman going up that wall!

But then when I was coming down, there was this enormous snapping noise. A man climbing on the wall beside me whipped his head around and cried: ‘Was that your leg?!’ I can’t say I felt anything, I just went into absolute shock. My knee had cracked.  

I went to hospital where they did an x-ray of my leg. The x-ray showed something inside the bone. I was sent for an MRI and CT scan straight after, and they discovered it was a tumour.

At that point, I lost it. I had a panic attack. Because of my snapped leg, I couldn’t leave the hospital. So I had to stay there for two weeks before I was then sent for a biopsy.

The results of the biopsy confirmed I had osteosarcoma.

Another broken bone and moving home

At that time I was living in Cirencester. I had amazing friends supporting me and I'm so grateful for them. My mum flew home from Fuerteventura and I was supported and shown so much love and care by friends and family who travelled to see me from Middlesbrough.

I was to receive chemo in Bristol, and bone graft surgery to save my leg in Birmingham. But another freak accident led the healthcare professionals to choose a different course of action.

My friends had taken me out in my wheelchair to the local park to get some fresh air when a dog ran into the bottom of my foot and completely snapped the femur bone – the same one that had the tumour in it.

I’ll never forget that pain. And it was in the same leg that had originally snapped, too.

As awful as that accident was, it showed the doctors just how fragile my bones were. If they’d gone down the route of a bone graft to save my leg, I may have ended up losing it. So this led to them to use a metal graft instead.

Sometimes I can’t quite process that all of this happened to me.

Because of the state of my leg, and the fact I’d need many rounds of chemo, I basically would have to remain an inpatient at the hospital. I stayed for a month in Bristol, but was then transferred to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle to complete my treatment and be closer to friends and family who could support me and my mum. 

I ended up staying in the hospital in Newcastle for over 100 days. In my darkest moments, I never thought I’d make it out of that hospital.

I tried to stay positive but I had so many complications: my liver and kidneys were failing, I got mucositis, blood clots, and sepsis twice. The NHS staff in all the hospitals were so amazing, but thinking about that time really gets to me.

Finding emotional and physical relief at Maggie's

It was my mum who first came to Maggie’s. It was a lot for her to handle, with me being stuck in the hospital for such a long time. She’d go in for a cup of tea and to just let it all out.

Maggie’s really means so much to me and my mum.

It was then that she was told about Look Good Feel Better at Maggie’s. I wasn’t able to go to the centre, so Maggie’s sent me a package to my hospital room with all the makeup that I would have received at the workshop. That brought me so much joy - it lit me up for days!

When I was finally well enough to leave my hospital room, I joined an art therapy class at Maggie's. As my leg was still broken at this point, I had to position myself right at the end of the table.

Something about that creative process really had a big impact on me. I think I cried in that first session. I’m not an artist at all and I didn’t know where to start or what to put on the page, but the facilitator was so encouraging.

I forgot about my pain during the workshop. It really, really helped me. 

I started to come to Maggie’s more regularly while I progressed with my recovery. Sometimes I’d sit in the centre garden, sometimes I’d sit around the kitchen table and talk to the cancer support specialists.

I’d read the books in the centre library, and every time I had a check-up once I’d been discharged, I’d always come in to the centre to let the staff know how I was getting on.  

Maggie’s, Middlesbrough centre opening

I’m living in Middlesbrough now, and it’s amazing because there’s now a Maggie’s at the James Cook University Hospital. Now I’m cancer free, but I still need to go to the hospital every two weeks for blood transfusions because of my bone marrow.

The fact Maggie's is right there in the hospital grounds means that if you’re going for an appointment, you can just go to Maggie’s to talk about your treatment and the side effects, or just relax away from the ward.

It’s so helpful to have a space like Maggie’s in the local area to come in and talk to someone about what you’re going through. You can have a cup of tea and you can get things off your chest. It makes such a difference.

On a day when you’ve had bad news, going into a place like Maggie’s gives you the opportunity to offload everything before you bring it all home with you. 

They also offer Reiki at Maggie’s in Middlesbrough, as well as offer complementary therapies. The Reiki has been amazing, and the ladies there have been amazing too.

Travelling and getting back to work

Before my diagnosis, I was saying ‘yes’ to everything. And that’s something I want to get back to, but it’s a balancing act. It’s now more about prioritising and saying yes to the things that truly align with what’s right for me on an emotional and practical level.

I’ve started going back to church and I’m practising mindfulness regularly. I have a gratitude journal and do breathwork and meditation, which really helps when I’m feeling anxious.  

Travelling and getting back to work are two of my big priorities now. I really want to have a career that I’m passionate about, that gives me purpose and that helps others.

I’m starting up my own business called ‘The Rainbow Quote Boxes’. I write down quotes, and people pick one out of the box to take and keep. They can also then write down their own quote to pass on to others. It’s a way of spreading kindness all around, helping to brighten up people’s days and bring hope and joy.

Me and my mum have been on a few holidays together. We went away to celebrate the news that I was cancer free, last March we went to Portugal. I’ve been on a holiday with my amazing friends. And I’m really just making memories, being in the moment, being grateful, living life to the full and opening myself up to new opportunities.  

To mark my two year cancer anniversary in February, I want to go on a solo trip to Malta. I’d actually originally booked that trip two days before my diagnosis, so I’m really pleased that I’m finally going there!

We’re here with you

Our cancer support specialists, psychologists and benefits advisors are here for everyone with cancer, and all the people who love them. 

• Come and see us at your nearest Maggie’s
• Call us on 0300 123 180 or arrange a callback
• Cmail us at enquiries@maggies.org