Laurence's story

Laurence recently took part in a Foundation-funded study led by Dr Lauren Heathcote at Kings College London, testing a new body-mindset treatment aimed at helping childhood cancer survivors manage ongoing pain.

"Putting weight on my legs hurt"

“I was always that kid at school that was incredibly sporty - annoyingly sporty. It’s all I did, all I thought about. I was a keen swimmer and runner and had started training for triathlons. But then running became difficult - painful. Eventually, even walking and putting weight on my legs hurt.”

After an initial diagnosis of shin splints, Laurence had an X-ray and a biopsy, which determined he had bone cancer. Treatment started the following week.

"One thing I remember is just how cold chemotherapy is"

“I was on treatment for about a year, and I was bedridden for large portions of it,” he recalls. “It wasn’t a fun time - it’s still hard to talk about."

“One thing I do remember is just how cold chemotherapy is. I can remember it coming down the lines into my body, and it just being cold – very cold."

“I was quite sick, which is common. I was throwing up bile dozens of times a day. The pain is in your stomach - your abdomen. You’re retching but nothing’s really coming out.”

"I was learning to walk again at 14"

Laurence underwent limb-salvage surgery - a complex procedure to remove the tumour without amputating the leg. “The pain during recovery was immense. At just 14 years of age, I was learning to walk again and adapting to living with a disability.”

He is now left with a permanent physical disability which causes daily pain and discomfort. “In my case, the disability I’ve been left with is the biggest challenge since remission. My knee and ankle swell up even after the shortest walks. Trying to manage that discomfort is an ongoing, daily occurrence.”

"It can be quite isolating"

Whilst Laurence feels he had the best possible care and support from the oncology and surgical teams, he felt there was a gap in mental health support. “I can only speak from my experience, but we are talking about serious trauma. It can be quite lonely, quite isolating.”

“And it wasn’t until I grew up and matured a bit that the real survivor’s guilt hit, and it hit hard. Why did I survive this? Why were there kids younger than me that suddenly aren’t here anymore? Why me and not them?”

One thing Laurence wishes he’d had as a teenager was a relatable role model - someone who’d had the same diagnosis.

“No nurses, oncologists or doctors could ever give me an example of someone like me - someone with the same cancer who’d gone on to do something. It doesn’t have to be the Paralympics. Just hearing, ‘Hey, they’re doing their GCSEs now,’ would’ve meant a lot.”

Now, Laurence regularly visits the ward at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he was treated. “Just being face-to-face with someone who’s been sat where you’re sat, who knows what it’s like, is incredibly powerful.”

"I jumped in a boat and absolutely loved it"

After treatment, Laurence eventually returned to sport. “I got back into the pool. The freedom that water can give you when you’ve been bedridden for so long is massive.”

Then came rowing. “I jumped in a boat and absolutely loved it,” he explains. “I started doing more and more rowing, and less and less swimming.”

That passion led to a place on the GB Paralympic team, winning gold medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 in the mixed double scull. After retiring in 2021, he now coaches rowing at an Oxford University college.

“I love coaching, and it keeps me in touch with the sport. But I’ve not been persuaded to jump back in a boat just yet!”

Since his treatment, he also trained in counselling and psychotherapy.

Taking part in Dr Heathcote's research

Recently, Laurence took part in Dr Lauren Heathcote’s research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London. The study is trialling a new treatment designed to help young cancer survivors manage chronic pain by changing how they think about their bodies and their pain.

The approach uses video interviews with survivors like Laurence, sharing their experiences to help others reframe their own.

Find out more here