A student whose love for hiking used to see her trudge nine miles a day is now re-learning to trek long distances after life-saving surgery to remove a cancerous lump from her leg.
Erin Turner, 26, from Stirling, Scotland, is encouraging other cancer patients to take up exercise as she rebuilds her strength after having muscle removed from her leg in a life-saving operation to cure her soft tissue sarcoma.
Erin used to hike regularly as well as dancing, playing volleyball, basketball and soccer but the operation “ripped that away”.
She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, spending four days every three weeks in hospital, which also saw her lose her hair – a “devastating” consequence which Erin said felt like she was “losing a piece of (her) identity”.
Originally from Invermere, a small town in British Columbia in Canada, Erin moved to Scotland in September 2019 after studying Scottish History at university and would walk around nine miles a day prior to her diagnosis.
“In Canada, I lived in the Rocky Mountains so I grew up hiking and then, when I moved to Scotland, I joined some hiking clubs,” she said.
“When the pandemic hit, I spent a lot of time walking on my own which I loved because it’s so calming for me.
“I was a competitive dancer for 20 years until I blew my knee out which is when I started hiking more. I’ve always found calm in physical activity, it’s my safe haven.”
She added: “I was devastated when I couldn’t walk much after my surgery, it was a very small part of muscle that was removed from my leg, but my brain has had to reconnect all those pathways of movement.”
It was in January 2021 when a small lump on Erin’s right thigh started to bother her.
You have to do fitness on your own terms and listen to your body, so as I recover, I’m walking more and more— Erin Turner
She said: “I’d had it for a couple of years and first noticed it around the time I’d suffered an injury, so I thought it was just related to that, but it just kept growing and growing, then suddenly it started to really hurt.”
Erin went to her GP to get the lump checked.
She said: “She told me that she didn’t think it was suspicious, but she jumped into action and immediately sent me through for urgent testing with an orthopaedic surgeon.”
Within three weeks, Erin received a phone call with her results on April 14 2021.
She said: “The woman told me that she hated doing this over the phone but that she needed to tell me before I came in because things were going to happen fast from here.”
She added: “She told me that the lump was cancerous and I needed treatment and likely surgery.
“I was living here in Scotland alone and I was in complete shock. I called my family back in Canada and we talked about it.”
Erin’s mother flew out to Aberdeen to be with her for the start of her treatment.
In my surgery, they had to take a margin of muscle from my leg and my brain has had to figure out reconnecting those pathways of movement— Erin Turner
Erin said: “My mum stayed with me for three months and then when she went home, my dad came out for another three months.
“I started my treatment on May 4, which I kept saying was my lucky day because it’s Star Wars Day.”
Erin underwent chemotherapy and radiation before having surgery to remove the lump.
She said: “The treatment was really intense, and it wiped me out so I had a break after it until my surgeons deemed my body well enough to handle the surgery.
“After my first round of chemo, I lost my hair which was devastating.
“I’ve always had curly hair and it felt like I was losing a piece of my identity, especially as I didn’t know how it would grow back, but it’s grown back even curlier.”
Erin had her operation on September 30 2021, three days after starting her Masters.
“Waking up after surgery to hear my surgeons tell me that they had got everything was the best news I’d had that year,” Erin said.
She added: “I was determined to continue with the course, despite everything I was going through.
“I wasn’t able to be physically in the classes but luckily, remote learning was still an option due to the pandemic.
“Studying helped to keep me occupied while I recovered and I was able to physically join my class on October 18.”
It’s important to talk about how different fitness can be after cancer— Erin Turner
Erin is still recovering and says not being able to go hiking has been tough.
“The recovery process has been slow,” she said.
“In my surgery, they had to take a margin of muscle from my leg and my brain has had to figure out reconnecting those pathways of movement.”
She added: “Sometimes my brain will think I’m going to fall over when I put weight on that leg which has made my balance difficult to control.
“At first, my leg would just give way and I could barely walk around in my local area but now I’m able to walk to my classes, which is a 25-minute walk.”
Now, Erin is also working with Teenage Cancer Trust on their Cancer and Exercise campaign to shine a spotlight on how exercise can be beneficial for mental health and wellbeing after cancer treatment.
Erin hopes that sharing her experience will help other young people with cancer feel like they can exercise and move in a way that works for their body.
“Fitness and activity have always been a huge part of my life,” she said.
“I was put into dance classes at three years old because I would not stop tiptoeing around or spinning on my tiptoes as a toddler and that ensued 20 years of dancing competitively until I suffered an injury.”
It’s a very slow process but I’m getting back to normal in my own time— Erin Turner
She added: “I also played volleyball, basketball and soccer in my teenage years.
“As an adult, hiking became a frequent hobby of mine, and walking was something I loved to do just to clear my head. I find it really calming.
“To have all that ripped away from me was absolutely devastating so I wanted to take part in the Teenage Cancer Trust campaign because it’s important to talk about how different fitness can be after cancer.”
She added: “Having the charity be so active in talking about fitness after major life altering things like cancer is really cool and really important to me because of how much fitness means to me.
“You have to do fitness on your own terms and listen to your body, so as I recover, I’m walking more and more. It’s a very slow process but I’m getting back to normal in my own time.”
