Boy who begged for leg to be cut off in archery title bid
FOR the last three years, Cameron Radigan had begged doctors to remove his leg.
He was just two when he was diagnosed with bone cancer and, following life-saving treatment to remove a tumour from his left leg, spent years suffering “nothing but pain”.
By the age of eight, he struggled to walk, and three years later he needed crutches. By the time he was 14, the youngster, from Galston, Ayrshire, was in a wheelchair.
Now 16, the champion archer is preparing to try and walk for the first time in two years after having his leg amputated.
Just weeks after surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, he has been given the go-ahead to compete in national archery championships.
Cameron said he will not let the surgery define him. He said: “I am an archer. I am not a cancer survivor. I am not an amputee.
“These are things that happened to me but do not define me. We all deal with challenges every day in life. We deal with these challenges to the best of our ability and we carry on. Is that not the definition of determination?
“If we manage to find time to train for a sport we love with our friends is that not the definition of dedication?
“I am a dedicated and determined archer and I can’t wait to meet my friends on the shooting line.”
He is already ranked second in his field for Scotland under-18s and represented his country in the 2017 indoor championships and 2018 outdoor championships.
Paralympic GB has also expressed an interest in Cameron and he has to provide scores to them from his next three competitions for review.
His father, Richard, said Cameron is a “completely different person” following the dramatic procedure.
He said: “By the age of 11, Cameron had a 5cm length difference between his legs and his left foot was three sizes smaller than his right. He could only walk with the aid of crutches and was in constant pain.
“Since Cameron was 13 he has been begging for surgeons to amputate his leg as it was causing him nothing but pain and was completely useless. We had to have a meeting with the chief executive of Greater Glasgow health board before we were able to convince them to carry out the procedure.”
He added: “I am so proud of him, He is a completely different person. He’s never let it get him down.”