An Edinburgh teen who thought he was suffering from growing pains was found to be suffering from a rare cancer.
Keiran Smart, from Niddrie, was an active 14-year-old when he started suffering from a persistent ache in his leg at the beginning of 2022. The youngster's parents and teachers initially put the problem down to growing pains and didn't think much of it, however the pain became increasingly worse and he was eventually forced to give up football.
A few months later, the youngster's world came crashing down when he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that can affect both the pelvis and lungs. After undergoing 14 rounds of chemotherapy and missing his entire fourth year of school, Kieran and his family are now hopeful that they have reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Kieran's mum Leanne said: "It was the February break just after he went back to school and he phoned me from work saying his leg was really sore.
"I just said it's fine, I'll get you to the doctors. He said mum it's really sore, I've already told one of the teachers and I need to sit out. I took him to the doctors along the road and the GP said a lot of teenagers get fluid on the hip but she said something wasn't quite right.
"I took him straight up to the hospital after she sent a letter. From February to August we were just in and out all the time, with Kieran undergoing tests and scans. They detected a high infection level but couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"After an MRI confirmed it was his pelvis he was operated on in the middle of August. They went in through a C-section, drilled into his bone and cleaned it all out but he wasn't getting any better."
Despite the invasive operation, Kieran was still suffering from significant pain and the decision was made to take him back into theatre to wash out the area again. The schoolboy had expected to be discharged from the Sick Kids at Little France on September 2, but his parents received a worrying phone call asking them to come for a meeting with doctors.
"I just thought 'What's going on?" Leanne said. "We got taken into a room with the doctor who dealt with Kieran and another lady who I didn't know.
"She explained who she was and that Kieran has Ewing Sarcoma, but I had never heard of it. She explained it was a rare form of bone cancer that teenagers can get in their bones and lungs.
"After he underwent chemotherapy, we were advised that he needed radiotherapy due to where the cancer was and because they couldn't operate on it so we were sent down to a hospital in Manchester.
"We just thought he'd be getting the radiotherapy here but we ended up spending six weeks down there and had to leave his sister Myla behind, that was very tough."
Just two days after arriving back from Manchester, Kieran had to undergo further chemotherapy. A few days later, he was back in hospital with a severe infection and wasn't able to return home for three and a half weeks.
Critical and respiratory care teams were looking after Kieran after he was struggling to breathe, but he wanted to stay in the department he was familiar with as he struggled with change, Leanne explained.
The accounts manager continued: "We're now past the final chemotherapy appointment which was last week and we're now on to rest days. He still has his line in his neck where all his chemo and drugs go into his body.
"All of his veins were collapsing so they found it hard to get blood from him. It's part of him now and he has learned to live with it.
"It has been tough. People don't understand. We have friends who don't speak to us now and people who don't even say hello in the street, you wouldn't believe it."
Since Kieran's diagnosis, he and his family have been overwhelmed by the support of locals and pupils at Castlebrae.
Leanne said: "We want to make others aware of what this cancer is. I'm glad we got there before it was too late. It could have spread to more bones and to his lungs but they think they caught it in time. Hopefully, we can move on but you never really move on. After treatment, you've got a lifetime of check-ups and appointments.
"Kieran's reaction to his diagnosis and health journey has always been to just get on with it and deal with it. He's been an absolute trooper. A couple of times he has asked 'why me?' and he's allowed to say that."
Ashley Boak, Pupil Support Leader at the high school, has taught Kieran the whole four years he has been at the school and played a huge part in fundraising efforts.
She said: "Kieran is a ball of energy and has always been full of fun, cheek, and charm. He's just so loveable and he is definitely Castlebrae through and through. A lot of Kieran's friends have left school now and have moved on but he is very adamant that he wants to come back and do his fifth year.
"He has a very mature outlook on school now. The boys who are running on the weekend are a bit younger but that is a testament to what the approach from the school has been. Everybody knows of Kieran and even if they are not his best mate, they've wanted to get involved.
"It really has brought us all together while also raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. We have done bake sales, Santa dashes and a race night. We tried to do events to include everybody but it was always leading to taking part in the marathon weekend."
Norma Prentice, the headteacher at Castlebrae, is a keen marathon runner and was planning on making it a trio of marathons in three months by taking part in the Edinburgh marathon following races in both London and Barcelona.
Unfortunately for Norma, she recently fell down the stairs and fractured her collarbone and pelvis so is unable to take part, but in her absence, James McPartlin, a fellow Pupil Support Leader at the school, kindly offered to run the full marathon on Sunday in her place.
To make a donation to Kieran's family and Castlebrae High School's fundraising efforts, you can do so here.
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