A schoolgirl was given a devastating diagnosis after injuring herself on a trampoline.
Poppy Vanner, 11, was climbing up the ladder in her garden to bounce on the trampoline when she slipped and banged her leg on one of the runs. Poppy's mum Charleigh and dad Colin took her straight to the doctors who advised them to keep applying ice on the area, just below the knee, reports Manchester Evening News.
However, Poppy's pain was still getting worse weeks after the accident and her parents noticed the swelling had not gone down. The worried mum and dad took her back to the GP and she was eventually diagnosed with osteosarcoma on October 9.
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Tests showed that Poppy has a tumour in her leg and she will now start her chemotherapy treatment, which will take around eight months at Alder Hey on Monday, November 20.
Colin, 39, said: "Poppy is a very very brave young girl. The tumour has caused her to become wheelchair bound and she has been in severe pain for many weeks and months. She just wants to be better and to just be able to walk. She wants to be able to sing and dance in her bedroom [with her siblings] and to walk to the shop and she'll be able to soon."
Poppy now has to use a wheelchair but, despite her pain, she is hoping to share her story to help others who may be battling the same disease.
Colin said that when she was told she would lose her hair she even decided to donate it to the Little Princess Trust to help others in the same situation. Explaining the message Poppy and her family want to get across to others, Colin added: "Poppy wants to share her story to help other people going through this, so they know they are not alone.
"We want to say to people that, if you hurt yourself and you are worried and maybe think it's unusual at all then always get it checked out as sometimes it can be more serious. Then you can get the treatment you need."
Poppy has been giving updates on her journey via TikTok and has also taken part in an eight mile walk to raise awareness and funds.
The walkers set off from the King George V Playing Fields in Crewe, walking to Malbank High School in Nantwich. Many of the participants were in fancy dress. Poppy was joined on the walk by around 40 of her family and friends, some of whom found out about her journey via social media and travelled from as far afield as County Durham to lend their support.
Colin said: "It was the longest time Poppy has ever spent in a wheelchair. It must have been around five or six hours. She was determined to finish it but about 10 minutes away from the finish she hit the wall. She did brilliantly. I couldn't have wished for a better turnout. We had a stop off at the Sacred Orchard pub and Poppy enjoyed some chips there."
Poppy's mum Charleigh, 38, revealed that the schoolgirl, who has two sisters, Milly, 14, and Matilda, four, and a brother, Jackson, eight, has even struck a deal with her mum and dad to get £1 every time she takes her medicine. She is saving up ready to go on a shopping spree when she is feeling better.
Commenting on Poppy's tenacity and determination in the face of all she is going through, Charleigh added: "We have to give her £1 every time she has her medication. She is a savvy young lady. In the summer holidays she made and sold bracelets out on the green near our house. She's going to be a millionaire with her entrepreneurial skills!"
Poppy, a pupil at Malbank High School in Nantwich, is currently sleeping in the living room of her house. Her mum Charleigh said this could be difficult for her if she is tired and in pain and her brother and sisters come in to play or watch TV.
Expressing just how touched the family were by the support being given to Poppy, Colin said: "We also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support. It means the world to us.
"Work have been absolutely brilliant. We've had so much help and support, not just from work but from friends on the street and people we hadn't even met before. Down the road in the local shop they have a picture of Poppy and are raffling a hamper.
"People are doing all of these things to make Poppy feel better. Everyone has been absolutely fantastic."
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