A grandmother who was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumour after her ankle “looked a bit swollen” had to have her leg amputated, but she is now walking with a prosthetic and has achieved her goal of waltzing again with her husband.
Shirley Parnell, 75, a retired production coordinator, who lives in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, with her husband, Lawrence, 76, a retired chartered surveyor, noticed a lump on her ankle in July 2022, and little did she know, it would lead to a devastating diagnosis.
Shirley “assumed it would be something that (doctors) could fix”, but, after several scans, she was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, a rare malignant cancerous tumour, and was told a leg amputation would be the only way forward.
The mum of two and grandmother of two felt “shocked and in disbelief” as it “hadn’t even crossed (her) mind” that she was going to be diagnosed with cancer.
After the surgery, Shirley had an “overwhelming sense of relief” and focused on getting better – to motivate herself, she set herself the goal of being able to dance with her husband again.
But, while learning to walk again, Shirley was diagnosed with metastasis lung cancer and could not help but feel “a little bit cheated” as her parents lived until their 90s and she now knows “that’s probably not going to happen.”
She did not let this get in the way of her achieving her goal, and in the middle June 2023, she danced with her husband again at a friend’s wedding and said she “had a real sense of achievement”.
In July 2022, Shirley got her first warning sign of cancer when she experienced pain in her right ankle.
Shirley told PA Real Life: “My ankle started to look a bit swollen – at first, I didn’t think anything of it as I assumed I had just knocked it on something in the house and not realised, but then I noticed a lump.
“The lump kept moving around and the pain started to get more intense. So much so that I decided to go and see my local GP.”
Shirley’s GP thought it could be a blood clot, so she was prescribed cream and tablets, but after a week, nothing improved.
She was then referred to Watford General Hospital for a blood test and an X-ray.
Shirley said: “I had just assumed it would be something that they could fix with some medication and the thought of something more serious didn’t really cross my mind.
“It was only when they said that the X-ray had come back showing some abnormalities and they wanted me to have an MRI scan, a CT scan and a biopsy that I started to worry.
“A few weeks went by, and I tried not to think about the results but then I got a call saying the results were back and they wanted to see me, and I just felt like it was going to be bad news.”
At the appointment, Shirley was told she had spindle cell sarcoma, a rare malignant cancerous tumour which can develop in the bone or soft tissue.
The doctor suggested that the only option for Shirley was to have her leg amputated to remove the tumour.
She said: “As he said those words, I felt shocked and disbelief.
“I thought at the time, only last week I was living my life normally, doing things I would come to take for granted such as walking to the shops or going to a Pilates class.
“It hadn’t even crossed my mind that it might be cancer, let alone that I would lose a limb because of it.”
So, on October 24 2022, at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, Greater London, Shirley had the surgery.
She said: “I was very nervous going into surgery but funnily enough I was okay once it was done.
“I just had an overwhelming sense of relief that that part was finished.
“Everyone has always said to me that I am a very determined person and after the surgery, I just started to look to the future as I felt everything was getting better, so I focused on working towards that.”
But, once her leg was amputated, Shirley could not help but feel like she had lost some independence.
She said: “Before I could just pop out to pick up some essentials but I had to rely on others to help me, something I am learning to get better at.
“I’m so grateful for my husband running me around though.”
On January 27 2023, Shirley had a cast made for her prosthetic leg, and it was fitted a week later.
She said: “Then came the long and challenging journey of learning how to walk again.
“The staff at the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital were amazing and their support was what got me through those first few weeks and helped me get used to my new way of moving.
“I felt strange but excited with my new leg – it felt like it was a real step forward into being more independent.”
When in physiotherapy, Shirley made it her goal to be able to dance at her friend’s wedding with her husband.
She said: “My husband and I always loved dancing – he joked that we’ll be doing a jive, but I said maybe a slow waltz.”
But, at the end of April 2023, she was diagnosed with lung cancer.
She said: “My parents lived until they were well into their 90s and I’ll be honest, I fully accepted with my family history that I would do the same.
“So it came as a bit of a shock that I now know that that’s probably not going to happen.
“I felt a little bit cheated, I suppose, but the other thing it has made me realise is that there are people a lot worse off than me.”
Determined not to let the diagnosis impact her goal, Shirley practised walking even more, and at the middle June 2023, they danced together at the wedding.
She said: “It was wonderful, I had a real sense of achievement, and being able to have a few dances during the evening was wonderful.
“My husband was really proud of me too.
“My family have been unbelievably supportive, I can’t thank them enough.
“They were so happy for me that day.”
Now, Shirley remains under the hospital’s care, having regular scans, and has since passed her driving assistance test.
She is also raising money for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity for its Impossible Possible campaign.
Looking back on the last few years, she said: “I appreciate things a lot more now – I take time to appreciate my garden, the flowers blossoming, and my family.
“I feel so lucky that I could have the amputation, and it puts things into perspective definitely.”
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