Medical miracle helps little Bethan, 6, in cancer fight

In her short life little Bethan has already fought against cancer – and undergone a major operation which saw her left arm and shoulder removed for several hours in a dramatic bid to beat the disease.

Bethan, from Llangadfan, near Welshpool, was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, on her left arm in February last year and underwent an eight hour operation at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham.

Surgeons removed her left arm and shoulder before taking it by ambulance across the city to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to be irradiated to kill off any cancerous cells.

The arm and shoulder were then painstakingly reattached to Bethan's tiny body and she is now making an incredible recovery.

Due to the treatment and operation, Bethan has no feeling in her humerus bone but can still move her arm, hand and fingers. Her mother Lynne Evans said Bethan has fractured the humerus bone twice without noticing since the surgery.

She said the next big step for Bethan comes at the age of nine when she returns to hospital to have a platinum bone coated in silver inserted.

Mrs Evans said: "Due to the treatment, her arm bone is not strong enough and that's why she needs the platinum bone inserted. As she grows, the doctors will be able to extend the bone every so often with a magnet from outside her body.

"It's absolutely amazing how well she has coped with everything. She didn't eat or drink for three months, so she had a nasal gastric tube, which needed to be replace frequently. We were at home only two days a week for six months."

Bethan will have routine follow up scans at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Birmingham Children's Hospital every three months until she is 18. But her parents feel that's a small price to pay for having their daughter alive and well.

To mark her treatment and recovery, family members and friends are planning a marathon bike ride to raise money for two cancer charities.

Bethan's father Arwel will set off with 22 supporters from Holyhead on September 4 and cycle 220 miles, arriving in Cardiff two days later.

The sponsored ride, which is being organised by Mr and Mrs Evans will raise money for the Kids Cancer Charity, formerly The Christian Lewis Trust and Breast Cancer Campaign. They hope to raise more than £4,000 to support the charities.

Mrs Evans said: "The surgeons are the best in the world and the staff in the hospitals are all wonderful. It's like a big family there and you can imagine the stress that we go through.

"We as a family want to raise awareness of their brilliant work and give something back to all the wonderful people and charities that have helped us and others in our community over the past 18 months.

For fundraising news visit www. facebook.com/bethanevans06 or to sponsor the cyclists, make a donation online at www.justgiving.com/teams/lae