I'VE LOST A LEG BUT I'LL CARRY ON CANOEING

A BRAVE teenager who had a leg amputated 24 hours after winning two gold medals in a national canoeing competition has astounded doctors by returning to the water just eight weeks later.

James Oldham, 14, suffers from a rare genetic disease called neurofibromatosis, which affects the nervous system.

In James's case it meant that his lower leg was so weak it was unable to support his weight, and kept fracturing.

"It was diagnosed when he was just eight days old," said his mother Sue George, 48, a nurse. "He was put into a splint and had his first lot of surgery at nine months.

"Shortly afterwards, doctors carried out a bone transplant, taking a section of bone from his right leg and putting it into his left. He was in plaster for months after that."

James, from Newark, Notts., spent the following years in and out of Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, as doctors tried to treat the condition.

Then in 1996 his physiotherapist suggested he should join his local canoeing club. "She said it would be a lot of fun," said James. "It wasn't going to make my leg better, but it would be good to get out and take my mind off the pain.

"I wasn't very keen because I had never thought about giving it a try. I only started enjoying it when I started winning races."

James went on to win the the national title twice and was also crowned European champion in 1998, which he hopes to be again next year.

In September 1998 doctors turned to a revolutionary form of treatment in a final bid to save his leg after yet another serious fracture.

They fitted him with a special frame which is secured to the leg with pins. A series of screws are turned by a millimetre a day to force the bone to grow.

But the bone failed to mend and it wasn't long before doctors delivered the news James and his mother had been dreading.

"After two failed attempts they told us what we already knew," said Sue. "We had prepared ourselves for it but it was still very upsetting.

"There were two possible dates. The first was two weeks before the national championships but James wanted to win the title. He was so determined."

Just two months after the operation, James got back out on to the water when he took part in a fun weekend organised by his canoeing club.

He said: "I was quite scared when I got into the canoe for the first time. It took me a while to get my balance. But in my racing canoe I have to compensate for the missing leg with stones to make sure I don't tip over."

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