Madeleine What cancer were you diagnosed with? Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma What age were you diagnosed? 18 What has helped you to thrive? Since my diagnosis, I have been involved with a lot of charity work, and I write my own blog to raise awareness of sarcoma, which is a little known cancer, as well as what it’s like being a young woman living with an incurable cancer. Being open about my experiences, and campaigning for better prospects for sarcoma patients, has put a positive spin on a negative experience, and is something that drives me forward every day. Maddie's Story My name’s Maddie, and four years ago, when I was 18, I was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, called alveolar soft part sarcoma. Sarcoma's are a large group of cancers that can grow almost anywhere in the body, including muscle, bone, tendons, blood vessels, and more. I had just started at university, what was meant to be an exciting new chapter of my life, making the diagnosis even harder to come to terms with - I thought cancer was an old person’s disease! My own diagnosis was a nearly 2 year long journey overall, starting with a seemingly innocent small, growing lump on my shoulder. Unfortunately, the cancer had already spread to my lungs, and after the initial surgery to remove the tumour on my shoulder, it also grew back in the bone. I now like to tell people that I only have 1.5 shoulders! I have been lucky in that the growth in my lungs has been very very slow. In September 2018 I had my last procedure to date, an ablation to remove a couple of the bigger nodules in my lungs. Since then I have had stable growth! Although my cancer is technically ‘incurable’, I am now 4 years into thriving with it, and am grateful for every bout of good health and stable scans. READ MORE OF MADDIE'S STORY HERE Manage Cookie Preferences