A Hull teenager who was told he had cancer after suffering from what he thought was a broken ankle has been described as an "inspiration" for his bravery.

Harrison Torr, aged 14 and from Greatfields in east Hull, was given the devastating news that he had osteosarcoma, a cancerous tumour in his bone, back in April.

The schoolboy had gone in for scans for what was suspected to be a broken ankle, but doctors instead found that Harri had cancer in his leg.

As if it was not shocking enough, two weeks later scans also found that Harri had tumours on his lungs.

To stop the cancer spreading, Harri had his left leg amputated from the knee down in June and will soon undergo a ten hour operation to remove the tumours from his lungs.

Still smiling

Even though Harri is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy at Leeds General Infirmary and having to learn to walk again, he still keeps smiling.

"It was pretty shocking when I was told that I had a tumour in my leg, as I thought that I had just broken my ankle," said Harri.

Harri has been helped by the Dan Kitching 35 Foundation, who gave him a Nintendo Switch

"Then when I found out that I had cancer in my lungs I was pretty upset, as you think of your lungs as a main organ that you need.

"I've taken my leg amputation in my stride - I was a bit worried about it before my amputation but the staff at Birmingham Hospital were really nice and reassured me, and then I was fine afterwards.

"I even drew a smiley face on the stocking of my leg after and was eating Dominoes two hours after theatre."

Intensive chemotherapy

To combat the cancer, Harri has chemotherapy at Leeds for three weeks at a time, five days a week, and then has two weeks to recuperate before the cycle begins again.

"The chemotherapy gives me a lot of nasty side effects such as causing ulcers in my mouth, which makes it difficult for me to talk, and in general it just makes me feel really weak," said Harri.

Harri is learning how to walk again with his prosthetic leg
Harri is learning how to walk again with his prosthetic leg

"I come home from hospital on a weekend to rest and have my family around me to motivate me, which really helps me out."

The attitude that Harri has towards his condition is overwhelmingly upbeat despite his circumstances.

"I've just recently got a prosthetic leg and I don't mind having one actually as it gives me something unique and a bit different," said Harri.

"I'm just hitting things head first and getting on with it - it's tough but the prize at the end of it all is worth it, and like my mum always says, 'no pain, no gain."

Proud family

Harri's mum, Erica Torr, could not be more proud of the way that her son has coped with his diagnosis.

She said: "I'm exceptionally proud of Harri and he is a complete inspiration. He is doing really well and is just fantastic and has a great family network around him.

"We had no idea that he had cancer - he was having pain in his ankle and night sweats and a bit of weight loss, but we thought it was just through puberty and it came as a real shock to the family when we found out.

"He loved swimming before but can't really go now after his leg was amputated. He just got a prosthetic leg two weeks ago and has had to learn how to walk again.

"We have a real struggle ahead of still and it is tough, but we aren't going to let the cancer win."

Dan Kitching 35 Foundation

Harri has been helped by the Dan Kitching 35 Foundation, a foundation set up in honour of Danny Kitching, a dearly loved husband and father of three whose life was cut tragically short due to aggressive bowel cancer.

The Foundation keeps the memories of the wonderful and deeply caring Danny Kitching alive by raising money to make a difference to the lives of the families and the people from Hull who are receiving treatment for cancer.

The organisation funds the delivery of refreshment supplies for the day rooms on the cancer wards at the Queens Centre, in Cottingham, and delivers care packs to the wards, consisting of a dressing gown and toiletries for the patients.

From Dan Kitching 35 Foundation: Bryan Birch trustee, Glenn Smurthwaite patron and Jaime Pearce, trustee

They have also supplied three wards with lap tops on wheels for patient use, and have paid for trips away and for electronics for people suffering from cancer.

Harri was given a Nintendo Switch by Bryan Birch, trustee and the father-in-law of Danny, and Harri could not be more pleased.

He said: "As the Nintendo is portable I can take it in to hospital with me to keep me occupied whilst I'm on chemo, and I can also play it with family members."

'ALWAYS SMILING': Danny Kitching remained positive throughout his two-year cancer
Danny Kitching

Miss Torr is also appreciative of the support she gets from the foundation. She said: "Bryan often pops in to the hospital to visit Harri in Leeds and he messages me weekly to see how we are getting on and to ask if the Foundation can do anything - it's really nice."

If you or someone you know could benefit from the Foundation's help, email dankitching35foundation@gmail.com

Follow Hull Live



