A woman who lost her leg to cancer was told she was suffering from growing pains.
Matalan worker Megan Squire was just 11-years-old when she began feeling pain in her right leg.
After repeated trips to the doctors with her mum Dianne, Megan, from Maghull in Liverpool, she was told the pain and fatigue she was feeling was merely growing pains.
Six months later the 23-year-old was was told to get a scan after growing pain which revealed she had a form of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma.
After the tragic news the Deyes High School pupil was placed on a gruelling chemotherapy schedule at Alder Hey Children's Hospital and lost her hair, the Echo reports.
However, a frightening reaction to the treatment saw Megan fall into a coma with a suspected bleed on the brain.
Luckily, the retail worker recovered and was able to continue with the chemotherapy, but to no avail.
The tumour didn't shrink and she was admitted to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham where she underwent surgery to remove her right leg.
The next step for Megan was recovery, which included more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, as well as having to learn to walk again with a prosthetic leg.
This was made much easier by the fact her family raised a staggering £52,000 to buy a robotic leg.
Megan had to wait until she was 16 to be fitted with the leg which proved to be life transforming and was able to return to school in 2012 having missed a full year.
She said: "Looking back, it was a really hard time for me and my family. But we had to focus on the treatment and the long road ahead.
"Facing a cancer diagnosis as a youngster is devastating.
"But I feel lucky to be living a great life now and I have a very different perspective. Research into cancer is vital and has helped me to survive.”
Megan is urging people across Merseyside to clear out their wardrobes as part of TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes for Good campaign, to help more children survive cancer.
When sold in Cancer Research UK shops, each bag of items donated could raise up to £25 or £31 with Retail Gift Aid.
Cancer Research UK spokesman for the North West, Jane Bullock, said: “We’re grateful to Megan and her family for their support. Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults – from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment and the long-term side effects survivors often experience.
"So, it needs more research which campaigns like Give Up Clothes for Good help to fund.
“We want to help ensure more people under the age of 25 in the North West and across the UK, survive cancer with a good quality of life.
"That’s why we hope as many people as possible will show their support and donate any quality clothes or goods to their local TK Maxx store.
"Not only could they help to save lives, they’ll also be reducing their environmental impact by giving their pre-loved items another lease of life.”
