26 May 2023 , 16:07
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A teenager who thought he was suffering from growing pains went on to receive a devastating diagnosis.
Kieran Smart was just 14 when he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of cancer that can affect both the pelvis and lungs and is more frequent in young males.
At the start of 2022, keen footballer Kieran noticed a persistent, yet hard to describe, pain in his leg which got so bad he had to give up the sport. Kieran's parents and teachers at the school initially put the issue down to growing pains and thought nothing of it.
After missing out on his entire fourth year at school and undergoing 14 rounds of chemotherapy, Kieran, his mum Leanne McLaren and dad Derek are taking each day as it comes but are hopeful the worst is behind them, reports Edinburgh Live.
Since Kieran was diagnosed, the tight knit community in Niddrie, as well as teachers and pupils at Castlebrae, have raised a staggering £10,000 through various fundraisers and bake sales, with their latest effort coming in the form of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival this weekend.
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Six pupils from the school and six members of staff are taking part in the 5km run, three members of staff are taking part in the 10km, with four running the half marathon and two doing the full marathon, all to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Kieran and his little sister Myla, aged nine (edinburghlive)Speaking on her son's diagnosis and the overwhelming support her and her family have received in the eight months since, Leanne, 40, said: "It was the February break just after he went back to school and he phoned me from work saying his leg was really sore.
"I just said 'it's fine, I'll get you to the doctors'. He said 'mum it's really sore, I've already told one of the teachers and I need to sit out'. I took him to the doctors along the road and the GP said a lot of teenagers get fluid on the hip but she said something wasn't quite right.
"I took him straight up to the hospital after she sent a letter. From February to August we were just in and out all the time, with Kieran undergoing tests and scans. They detected a high infection level but couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"After an MRI confirmed it was his pelvis he was operated on in the middle of August. They went in through a C-section, drilled into his bone and cleaned it all out but he wasn't getting any better."
Despite the extensive operation Kieran was still feeling significant pain, so doctors took him back into theatre to wash out the area once more and left him in hospital for a few days to analyse the results and reaction.
On September 2, Kieran was supposed to be discharged from the Sick Kids at Little France, but Leanne and her partner Derek received a worrying phone call asking them to come in as they had to talk about a plan for Kieran.
Ashley and James with the pupils taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival (edinburghlive)"I just thought 'What's going on?" Leanne said. "We got taken into a room with the doctor who dealt with Kieran and another lady who I didn't know.
"She explained who she was and that Kieran has Ewing Sarcoma, but I had never heard of it. She explained it was a rare form of bone cancer that teenagers can get in their bones and lungs.
"After he underwent chemotherapy, we were advised that he needed radiotherapy due to where the cancer was and because they couldn't operate on it so we were sent down to a hospital in Manchester.
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"We just thought he'd be getting the radiotherapy here but we ended up spending six weeks down there and had to leave his sister Myla behind, that was very tough."
When Kieran came back from Manchester, he was straight back to receiving chemotherapy just two days later and after just five days back home, he was forced to spend three and a half weeks in hospital again due to a bad infection.
Critical and respiratory care teams were looking after Kieran after he was struggling to breathe, but he wanted to stay in the department he was used to as he doesn't like change, Leanne explained.
Derek, Leanne and Kieran at the hospital (edinburghlive)The accounts manager continued: "We're now past the final chemotherapy appointment which was last week and we're now on to rest days. He still has his line in his neck where all his chemo and drugs go into his body.
"All of his veins were collapsing so they found it hard to get blood from him. It's part of him now and he has learned to live with it.
"It has been tough. People don't understand. We have friends who don't speak to us now and people who don't even say hello in the street, you wouldn't believe it."
Leanne has been overwhelmed by the support of locals and pupils at Castlebrae, with every message attached to a donation online putting a smile on her and Derek's faces.
"We want to make others aware of what this cancer is. I'm glad we got there before it was too late. It could have spread to more bones and to his lungs but they think they caught it in time. Hopefully, we can move on but you never really move on. After treatment, you've got a lifetime of check-ups and appointments.
"Kieran's reaction to his diagnosis and health journey has always been to just get on with it and deal with it. He's been an absolute trooper. A couple of times he has asked 'why me?' and he's allowed to say that."
All those taking part will be wearing a special t-shirt dedicated to Kieran. (edinburghlive)Ashley Boak, Pupil Support Leader at the high school, has known and taught Kieran the whole four years he has been at the school and has had a huge hand in all the fundraising efforts.
She said: "Kieran is a ball of energy and has always been full of fun, cheek, and charm. He's just so loveable and he is definitely Castlebrae through and through. A lot of Kieran's friends have left school now and have moved on but he is very adamant that he wants to come back and do his fifth year.
"He has a very mature outlook on school now. The boys who are running on the weekend are a bit younger but that is a testament to what the approach from the school has been. Everybody knows of Kieran and even if they are not his best mate, they've wanted to get involved.
"It really has brought us all together while also raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. We have done bake sales, Santa dashes and a race night. We tried to do events to include everybody but it was always leading to taking part in the marathon weekend."
Norma Prentice, the headteacher at Castlebrae, is a keen marathon runner and was planning on making it a trio of marathons in three months by taking part in the Edinburgh marathon following races in both London and Barcelona.
Unfortunately for Norma, she recently fell down the stairs and fractured her collarbone and pelvis so is unable to take part, but in her absence, James McPartlin, a fellow Pupil Support Leader at the school, kindly offered to run the full marathon on Sunday in her place.
To make a donation to Kieran's family and Castlebrae High School's fundraising efforts, you can do so here.