Teenage footballer to amputate leg after cancer diagnosis to follow his dreams

Jake Last has been speaking to ITV Granada Reports journalist Tasha Kacheri.

A 15-year-old goalkeeper says he is determined to still forge a career in football despite facing the prospect of a leg amputation.

Jake Last has chosen to go ahead with the surgery after he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma for the second time in two years.

He was diagnosed after suffering pain while playing football for the Burnley Under 14s Academy. Jake said that he originally thought that it was just an injury.

The aspiring goalkeeper then had 16 weeks of chemotherapy at Manchester Children’s Hospital and underwent surgery at Birmingham to replace his knee, tibia and femur with titanium implants.

He then needed 14 more weeks of chemotherapy back at Manchester Children’s Hospital to ‘mop up’ the remaining cancerous cells.

Jake became cancer-free in May 2023, he had to learn how to walk again and even kick a ball but as soon as he was able, he went back to playing football.

Jake said "That was the worst bit, not playing... going from playing every day of every week to absolutely nothing, not even being able to kick a ball or pass a ball with my right leg"

Unfortunately, five months later an MRI scan confirmed that the cancer was back and more aggressive expanding to his hip.

A different type of chemotherapy was needed and he started the treatments in February 2024.

John Last, Jake's dad, said "You think the worst, you just think when you hear the word cancer it puts all sorts of things in your mind and you think, that's it."

While it has been a hard two years the teenager has says he will never give up on his dreams, despite the amputation.

It is a move that doctors say will give him a better quality of life and there will be less chance that the cancer will return.

Jake is already planning on playing amputee football and wants to represent his country at the highest level of the sport.

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