THE mother of a young dancer has spoken with great pride about her daughter who is fighting bone cancer.
Bethany Ross was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in March and she endured a five-hour operation in May.
But months of hospital trips and agonising periods spent waiting for news has not flustered the brave Highams Park School pupil.
Bethany said: "I suppose maybe I have always been brave.
"There's no point being sad and I won't get anywhere if I just feel down about it, it won't help."
Sharon Ross, Bethany's mother, said the diagnosis didn't sink in at first for Bethany, when she was told.
Mrs Ross said: "I had to explain it to her three times as it wasn't registering, the fact it was cancer.
"The following morning she was very upset but since then she has been absolutely fantastic and people are always commenting on how she never stops smiling."
Mrs Ross, her eldest daughter Laura and Bethany, took the determined attitude that they would not let cancer get the better of Bethany.
Mrs Ross, of Beech Tree Glade, Chingford, praised the Churchill Medical Centre in Chingford for picking up on the problem after Bethany complained of pain in her leg and developed a small lump.
Mrs Ross said Bethany had an urgent x-ray at Whipps Cross Hospital within two days of the initial visit to her GP.
Mrs Ross said: "The radiologist confirmed it was a bony mass and not a cyst and the hospital staff moved from there.
"They called us back in within days and I knew then that they had concerns."
Within a month Bethany had numerous scans and two biopsies where small samples of bone were taken from her leg and sent for analysis.
Mrs Ross said: "That's the worst bit, when you have to play a waiting game which takes almost three weeks, it felt like a lifetime and was like living in a surreal word.
"All the time people were telling me it could be anything and to stay positive but I knew in the back of my mind."
Mrs Ross said as soon as she walked into a room with five doctors in it, she could tell it was not good news by the looks on their faces.
But far from letting the news get them down, the family have remained upbeat and positive.
Mrs Ross said: "It an awful thing for anyone to have but particularly at that age.
"It's all about what you look like and that kind of thing. But Bethany has not complained once or made a fuss, it's made me so proud."
Bethany underwent a five-hour operation at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore on May 17.
Mrs Ross said doctors did not know how much of Bethany's leg they would save as they removed the tumour and it was difficult to know exactly what they were removing as the tumour looks very similar to bone.
Doctors removed a chunk of Bethany's tibia, the shin bone, and she underwent a bone graft to try and repair the damage.
A fair amount of muscle and part of the growth plate in Bethany's leg was also removed.
Bethany's left leg has been in a cast since the operation and on Friday she will have her first post-operation consultation and find out how the operation went and whether she will have to have chemotherapy or not.
Bethany said: "I'm hoping my cast will come off and I'm keeping positive. I'm looking forward to starting physio as well."
Mrs Ross, who builds databases for a financial print company, usually works from home so has been able to be with Bethany every step of the way.
She said Laura, 18, who is studying her A-levels at Highams Park School, has been "fantastic".
She said: "She has been really supportive and doing everything she can to help at home with chores as I have become Bethany's carer."
Bethany, a member of Stepz Dance Academy in Chingford, was supposed to star in a show the weekend she came out of hospital and had been at all the rehearsals and had her costumes fitted.
Mrs Ross said: "She is determined to get better and determined to get back dancing."
Mrs Ross has nothing but praise for all the medical staff who have cared for Bethany and to say thank you she has set herself a target of raising cash for laptops and dvd players for the ward where Bethany has been treated at the hospital in Stanmore.
A fun day has been arranged for August 14 at Mrs Ross' local pub, the Queen Elizabeth in Forest Side, Chingford.
There will be two events, a fun day from 12pm with a host of events on offer - from face painting and balloon modelling to a bucking bronco and craft stalls.
In the evening at the pub there will be an adult event with karaoke, a burger and hot dog eating competition, an auction and a raffle.
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