Adventurer diagnosed with rare form of bone cancer
- Nikki Bradley, 30, from Ireland was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer
- She was 16 at the time and doctors said she would have to use crutches for life
- The adventurer has set up a charity encouraging people to explore and keep fit
Sadie Whitelocks for MailOnline
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From a distance it looks like adventurer Nikki Bradley is using hiking poles.
But the 30-year-old is actually traversing craggy peaks and mountain glaciers on hospital crutches.
The adventurer from Ireland was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer when she was 16 which hit the right hand side of her pelvis and she has had two hip replacements since.
Adventurer Nikki Bradley, 30, from Ireland was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer which means she must use crutches when out exploring (above, on the hills of Donegal)
Inspiring: The adventurer has had two hip replacements as a result of the cancer but she hasn’t let it stop her from pursuing her passion for the great outdoors
While she’s suffered numerous health setbacks, Nikki hasn’t let it stop her from pursuing her passion to explore the great outdoors.
Last year she climbed Errigal, Donegal’s daunting mountain, in the first snow of the New Year. She even did it from the north face, which is normally reserved for the ‘serious climbers’.
She also hiked the forbidding Solheimajokull glacier in Iceland and rappelled down a 45 foot ice cave.
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Recalling the descent, Nikki told Red Bull: ‘The whole weight of my body was going through my leg which was unpleasant but the view really made up for it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.’
The Icelandic expedition required her to wear crampons and her crutches were fitted with special rubber stoppers.
Don’t look down! One piece of terrifying footage, shows the fearless blonde traversing the Sturrall Headland sea cliff feature in Ireland
In safe hands: All of Nikki’s expeditions are completed with an expert guide and support team at hand
One piece of terrifying footage, shows the fearless blonde traversing the Sturrall Headland sea cliff feature in Ireland.
The narrow ridge is approximately 2,624 feet long and 590 feet at its highest point.
Video shows Nikki summiting the rocky peak as a guide rope around her waist keeps her safe from a potential fall.
All of her expeditions are completed with an expert guide and support team at hand.
More recently she tackled Slieve League, a 1,971 foot mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in Ireland.
Nikki was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma as a teenager after finding a lump on her hip.
Turn of events: Nikki was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma as a teenager after finding a lump on her hip
Keeping fit: Nikki used exercise for rehabilitation and took up rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking and hiking
The condition is very rare, with around 600 cases being diagnosed in the UK each year. It most commonly affects people who are 10 to 20 years old.
Nikki said she got into adventuring after hitting a low point.
She used exercise for rehabilitation and took up rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking and hiking.
In 2013 she founded Fighting Fit for Ewings (FFFE), an awareness campaign that shows that goals can be achieved regardless of physical ability, and emphasises the importance of exercise.
Nikki says she is trying to pack in as much as she can now as her right leg might be amputated as the bone in the hip is dead.
Asked in a television interview with RTÉ Cork how she feels about the possibility of amputation, she concluded: ‘I don’t know how I feel yet.
‘If it actually happens it won’t stop me. I’ll still do what I want to do.’
WHAT IS EWING’S SARCOMA?
Ewing’s sarcoma can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, and rarely affects older people.
The tumour may start anywhere in the body, usually in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis, or the chest. It often spreads to the lungs and other bones.
There are few symptoms, but the most common is pain, and occasionally swelling, at the site of the tumour. Fever may also be present.
Treatment involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.
The five-year survival for localised disease is 70 per cent to 80 per cent when treated with chemotherapy.
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