Suffolk surgeon Dr Liz O'Riordan is helping her mum Isobel Ball, the 'one arm bandit', raise awareness of osteosarcoma

A well known Suffolk breast cancer surgeon, has spoken about the importance of raising awareness of rarer cancers, after her own mother had her arm amputated after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.

Dr Liz O'Riordan, 47, who has had breast cancer herself, has spoken about how proud she is of her mother Isobel Ball, 74, who is now calling herself the 'one arm bandit'.

Isobel, who lives in the same West Suffolk village as her daughter, is now undergoing chemotherapy at Addenbrooke's Hospital, after the rare type of bone cancer spread to her lungs - meaning it is incurable.

The former nurse was diagnosed in June, after she broke her arm opening a café door, a few months before she had noticed some swelling on the back of her upper right arm.

After breaking her arm Isobel went to the accident and emergency department at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.

Dr O'Riordan explained: "After being seen in A&E, we saw the orthopaedics team at West Suffolk a week later and they said ' You’ve broken your arm and we think it’s because of a bone cancer'.

Isobel was then sent for scans and started receiving treatment at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore in London - one of only five hospitals in the UK that deal with bone cancer.

Following the results of the scan and a biopsy, Isobel had her dominant arm amputated in July, to give her the best chance of survival and lowest risk of recurrence.

However, since then the family have found out the cancer has spread.

Dr O'Riordan said: "We are not really thinking about what is going to happen in the future, its just living every day as you can, trying to be positive.

"I never thought I would see my mum die because I always thought my cancer would come back first and we don't prepare ourselves to speak about losing our parents.

"And I am just so incredibly blown away, I am amazed, I am proud, with how she is coping and how she is getting on with it.

"Mum doesn't see the impact she has – it is so inspiring, it really is and I get messages from people who follow me on Twitter who say 'can you just give your mum a hug, we think she is amazing'."

She continued: "Mum's doing alright with chemotherapy, it's hard, and it's really hard for me to watch her go through it.

"It reminds me of what I was like when I had chemo, and I know if my cancer comes back I will be going through this again - so it is quite emotionally triggering. "

"It's almost harder being a carer than it was as a patient, because I can't make her better, I just have to watch her go through it, I have no control and that is really hard.

"But she has been incredible, so positive, so open, so upfront about it all.

"I think she just thought, there is nothing to hide and the world is so depressing I just want to be positive and cheery so let's say 'I am a one arm bandit'."

"I know it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there are 150 breast cancers diagnosed every day, but mum's cancer is so rare that there are only 150 a year and it really made me realise there are so many cancers that don't have a day, let alone a week or a month."

Encouraging people to be aware of rare cancers Dr O'Riordan said: "If you get a funny lump or bump on your arm or your leg, get it checked out because it could be cancer.

"People need to know what the signs are and if you are thinking about donating to a cancer charity just spare a thought for the rarer cancers.

"The Bone Cancer Research Trust, that have been fantastic, are having a Bake it for Bone Cancer week starting on October 10, so mum's done a video for them when they are trying to get people to bake to raise money," said Dr O'Riordan.

"Mum bakes scones with one hand and she has been baking banana loaf with one hand and it just shows you can carry on."

As part of the Bone Cancer Research Trust campaign there will be a picture saying: "We should all be more Isobel".

Isobel is also an ambassador for Sarcoma UK.

Dr O'Riordan joked that she 'bullies' her mum to exercise, to ease symptoms, and recently Isobel was joined by her husband, Keith, a former surgeon, when she took part in the 5K Your Way walk at Nowton Park.

The free walk takes place on the last Saturday of every month, as part of ParkRun and cancer patients and their carers are encouraged to take part.

In the new year Isobel will make a special guest appearance on her daughter's podcast - Don't Ignore the Elephant, which features honest conversations about things that might embarrass or scare people.