HIDDEN FIGHT
‘I thought I could run it off,’ says boy, 16, forced to have leg amputated after rugby tackle revealed aggressive cancer
Oliver Liddle first noticed pain in his right knee before receiving the life-changing diagnosis
WHEN Oliver Liddle's knee started to hurt after a game of rugby, he assumed it was from a dodgy tackle.
The then-12-year-old played the sport religiously, and was often thrown about the pitch while representing his local team.
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Even as the pain failed to subside and a small lump formed, the optimistic schoolboy assumed he could simply "run it off".
But his symptoms persisted, and eventually Oliver was diagnosed with bone cancer.
After undergoing a nine-month course of chemotherapy, he was presented with two options to save his life.
He could have reconstructive surgery, which would stunt his growth, or amputation.
READ MORE ON BONE CANCER
Oliver bravely chose the latter, but he remained determined to run again and return to the sports he loves.
After working hard to regain strength and muscle, Oliver won gold at the British Championships of Para Powerlifting in 2021 at the age of 16 before going on to secure bronze at the World Championships in Georgia the same year.
Now, in a bid to mentor other young people who have lost a limb, he has become a qualified gym instructor and launched his own fitness business, , in 2023.
“Never give up - that’s something I’ve always told myself no matter how hard it gets,” Oliver, who lives with his dad Steve, 49, stepmum Abby, 42, brother Max, 22, and stepbrother Louis, 10, in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, says.
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“No matter what life throws at you, stay positive, stay determined and don’t let it get you down too much.”
Oliver was just seven when his mum Kerrie died aged 42 from breast cancer in 2012.
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“She’s a massive motivation to me now. Everything I do is in respect for her and I want to honour her memory,” he says.
Five years later, having developed a passion for rugby, Oliver was playing a match with Rockcliff Rugby Club when a normal tackle left him with pain in his right leg.
“I landed on my right knee,” Oliver, now 19, says.
“I thought, ‘I’ll just run it off’, but it didn’t go away,
“I noticed there was a lump starting to form as well.”
His dad took him to the GP, who referred Oliver for an X-Ray at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
Further scans and a biopsy revealed the youngster had osteosarcoma in his right knee.
Doctors said the “aggressive” cancer was at the top of his tibia and fibula, where it later spread towards his lower leg and knee.
I wanted to be that person who can say to others, ‘It’s not the end, you can keep going
Oliver Liddle
Upon receiving his diagnosis, Oliver said he thought, “Why would this happen?”.
“We had already been hit with a curveball with my mum passing. I thought, 'Why should I get this now?'” he adds.
Oliver pressed on with treatment, undergoing a nine-month course of intensive chemotherapy.
But after the first four months, he was presented with a decision to save his life.
“The cancer was very aggressive. My consultants told me that they needed to act fast to either get rid of the limb or extract the cancer,” Oliver says.
The first option was an above-the-knee amputation, and the second was an operation to remove the cancer from his leg followed by reconstructive surgery to place a metal pin in his knee, which would stunt his growth.
“I would be stuck at five foot nothing forever,” he says.
“The only positive from it would be that it would salvage the leg.”
'I wasn't going to give up'
At the age of 13, Oliver opted for amputation and he spent several days in the intensive care unit before being sent home to rest.
“It was weird looking at myself in the mirror. I got some phantom pain but otherwise I was in high spirits as the cancer was gone,” he says.
Oliver continued the rest of his chemotherapy treatment and he was given the all-clear in February 2019.
A once active teenager, Oliver was desperate to get back in shape.
“I was very weak, very frail and I had no muscle anymore,” he says.
“I was just so determined to get back into sport.
“I always wanted to be able to run again – I wasn’t going to give up.”
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After learning how to walk using a basic prosthetic, Oliver built up his strength by going to the gym, supported by his personal trainer and close friend Steve Sharp at North Tyneside Barbells.
He later got a running prosthetic, which allowed him to take on the track.
Oliver got into weightlifting and athletics, and at the age of 16, in 2021, he secured gold representing Team GB at the British Championships for Para Powerlifting.
He later won bronze at the World Championships the same year in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Thinking ahead to his future, Oliver got a job at his local gym before deciding on a career as an instructor.
Studying with Sportsability for his Active IQ gym instructor qualification and now for his Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification, Oliver launched Unlimbited, where he coaches and mentors young people and adults who have lost a limb.
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“I wanted to try and make something of myself; I wanted to help people and give back,” Oliver says.
“I wanted to be that person who can say to others, ‘It’s not the end, you can still train, you can still focus on your goals, you can keep going’.”
What is osteosarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer most common in children and teenagers.
Any bone can be affected, but it often starts at the end of long bones, where new bone tissue forms as a young person grows.
Pain in the affected area is the most common symptom. This can come and go and tends to get worse at night.
"Osteosarcoma is sometimes discovered when a bone that has been weakened by cancer breaks after the person has had a minor fall or accident," the says.
Treatment usually involves chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery or amputation.
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