A Scots teen battled against the odds after learning that he might not walk again following a shock cancer diagnosis.
Aidan Hogg, 17, from East Lothian was diagnosised with leukaemia in March 2021.. He had initially complained about a sore back and it was believed at first that he had a kidney infection, reports Edinburgh Live.
However, one night two years ago Aidan came into his mum's bedroom and said he was losing the feeling in his legs.
The brave teen was rushed to the Royal Hospital Sick Kids in Edinburgh where after examination the doctors discovered he had leukaemia with tumours putting pressure on his spine.
His mum Emma explained that they also discovered another tumour that was putting pressure on an artery in his back and if they hadn't begun treatment when they did her son would have been paralysed.
The mum-of-six said: "I'll never forget that night, it was horrible. But in a way, it was a good job that he came in and told me because he didn't look unwell or feel unwell. Aidan was just lucky the doctors found out when they did."
Despite the doctors warning that he might never walk again, in August 2021, Aidan took his first steps after five gruelling months of physiotherapy.
The 42-year-old florist and author said: "They put him through radiotherapy, at the Western General, and chemotherapy. Operating on a back is too risky and they thought the radiotherapy would melt away the cancer masses that were putting pressure on his spine.
"But Aidan handled it all better than I did. He was in hospital for 10 months in total and I think there were only two days where he said 'I don't think I can manage today, I feel unwell.'
"I am so proud of him. He would see me cry and tell me, 'I'm not upset, so you shouldn't be upset'. But I had to explain it's different for a parent. We can protect our kids as much as we can, we can tell them to wait for the green man before crossing the road, but we can't protect them from cancer."
She continued: "It was horrible. My anxiety was so bad. But there's other families there too, we call ourselves the 'oncology family', it is so supportive but it's not a family you want to be a part of."
Aidan was supported from home by his stepdad Craig, his sisters, Jamie 25 and Nicole 19 and brothers Ryan 22, Keegan 12 and Robbie, four.
The teen missed three of his sibling's birthdays while he was in the hospital and his mum says this was something that he found really hard.
She said: "We're such a close knit-family. When he finally got home, it was brilliant, we were getting back to normality and I remember on the first day he came home he was already squabbling with his siblings. I had actually missed that."
Aidan started physiotherapy in March 2021 and in August was told his cancer was in remission, and he is now walking with crutches
The proud mum added: "He is doing so well. He's walking and he has just been accepted to college.
"When he was in the hospital, he said that he wanted to walk out of there. And he did! It was a slow walk, but he did it and everyone was cheering for him.
"We just feel so blessed as a family. Not everyone is as lucky as us."
Aidan's mum was even inspired to create a children's book off the back of his ordeal.
After Aidan started to recover the mum put pen to paper and created 'Hope The Hospital Fairy'.
She said: "It isn't about cancer or anything specific, children can go into hospital with a broken bone or just for feeling ill," she said. "This book tells them what to expect, like when they weigh you and take your height. Hopefully it takes the fear away and makes it a bit more of a fun experience."
She added: "If I can just help one child not feel scared, I'll be so happy."
The book can be bought for £4.99 on Amazon or download free on Kindle. You can see more information here.
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