'My Night Out With Friends Saved My Life': Woman Diagnosed With Bone Cancer After Drunken Fall

How A Drunken Fall Saved This Woman's Life
|

When Claire Burgess fell down on a night out and couldn't get back up, she knew something wasn't right.

After nearly 10 trips to see her doctor because of unbearable pain running down her back and leg, the 25-year-old from Lancashire was eventually diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer.

Her diagnosis was devastating, she had just a 40% chance of survival.

Now, nearly five years after the tumour on her pelvis went into remission, Burgess proves why you should never give up when it comes to your health, and tells of her hopes to marry her fiancé and adopt a child by next year.

Open Image Modal

"I have no doubt that my night out with friends saved my life," said Burgess, who first noticed that something was amiss with her health when she was just 20 years old.

She explained how she lost her balance and fell to the ground on a night out with friends and, despite her pals telling her to "get up", she physically couldn't.

The pain she experienced was "unbearable".

A few days after the incident, when the pain still hadn't subsided, Burgess went to her GP who said that it was probably sciatica - a name given to any sort of pain that is caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica causes pain to go down the leg from the back, according to the NHS, and usually improves naturally within around six weeks.

Burgess says that it took her at least 10 trips to the doctors before they referred her to a physiotherapist.

An MRI scan revealed that Burgess had stage four Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis bone, which left her with a 40% chance of survival.

Story continues below...

10 Symptoms That Could Mean Cancer
Persistent Cough Or Hoarseness (01 of10)
Open Image Modal
This could indicate lung cancer. (credit:bert_phantana via Getty Images)
A Change In The Appearance Of A Mole (02 of10)
Open Image Modal
This could mean you're suffering skin cancer. (credit:BananaStock via Getty Images)
A Persistent Change In Bowel Habits(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
This could be a sign of bowel cancer. (credit:Doug Chinnery via Getty Images)
A Sore That Does Not Heal (04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Depends on where, but a mouth ulcer could mean mouth cancer. (credit:Ilya Andriyanov via Getty Images)
Persistent Difficulty Swallowing(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
This can mean a person is suffering oesophageal cancer. (credit:Jevtic via Getty Images)
Unexplained Weight Loss(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
This can indicate several types of cancer. (credit:Fuse via Getty Images)
Persistent Change In Bladder Habits (07 of10)
Open Image Modal
This could be a sign of bladder cancer and prostate cancer in men. (credit:kostsov via Getty Images)
An Unexplained Lump(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
This can be a warning sign of many forms of the disease. (credit:Huseyin Tuncer via Getty Images)
Persistent Unexplained Pain(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
Depending on where, this can denote many types of cancer. (credit:GoodLifeStudio via Getty Images)
Unexplained Bleeding.(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
Depends where but this can mean bowel, cervical or vulval cancer. (credit:Maciej Frolow via Getty Images)

Ewing's sarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer which most commonly affects people who are 10 to 20 years old.

According to the NHS, symptoms include pain in the affected area that usually gets progressively worse, as well as swelling and tenderness. Other less common symptoms include a high temperature, severe tiredness and weight loss.

Burgess was told she needed to have treatment straight away so she embarked on six cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. But to no avail.

Doctors told her that her only chance of survival was to have a stem cell transplant, which would leave her infertile but save her life.

She lost two stone during the gruelling treatment but she pulled through and, much to her delight, it worked. In 2011, the tumour disappeared and Burgess was told her cancer was in remission.

Now the 25-year-old is set to marry her fiancé, James Murray, next month and adopt a child over the coming year.