The pain came quickly, like a shot to the top of the leg. Matt Forde was only mildly concerned as he was performing at the Edinburgh festival, but sought a swift trip to the doctor anyway. It was probably a slipped disc pressing on a nerve, they said. But it was not long before his world was turned into tumult.
A cancerous tumour called a chordoma was discovered at the bottom of his back after an MRI scan. “You’re not sure how your life is going to turn out at that point,” says Forde, who was told the base of his spine would have to be removed in life-changing surgery. It was his only option if he wanted to survive.
