Scots dad had leg amputated after sciatica diagnosis turned out to be tumour

Former farm worker Kevin McLaughlin, 34, was originally diagnosed in March 2023 with a sarcoma tumour in his upper leg after being told he had sciatica.
A "brave" Scots dad was forced to have his leg amputated during his battle with cancer after doctors told him that he was suffering with sciatica.
Former farm worker Kevin McLaughlin, 34, was originally diagnosed in March 2023 with a sarcoma tumour in his upper leg after being told he had sciatica.
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By May of that year, he was forced to make the quick decision to have his leg amputated in order to stop the spread of his cancer.
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Kevin battled to get back to a normal life, getting through physio to learn to walk with his prosthetic leg.
However, in February this year, his life was turned upside down again, after he coughed up a blood clot.
Due to his past with cancer he went to A&E and further scans revealed the disease was back, this time in his lungs.
He was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma found in adults. He was given chemotherapy to help treat the cancer. But at the beginning of June, he was told that it wasn't working.
Kevin's partner, Laura Brady, 35, told Glasgow Live: "Kevin had been going back and fourth to the doctors with a pain in his leg and over time a lump had been growing.
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"He had originally been treated with sciatica, but it got progressively worse and he had to go to A&E. By this time he had a big mass on the back of his leg, and he was diagnosed with a soft-tissue sarcoma.
"Initially, the plan was to remove the lump, and treat it with radiation. But because the cancer was spreading within the leg and around his thigh the consultant said that for a curative option, they advised a hip disarticulation.
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"Kevin only had a couple of days to decide, and his leg was taken off."
Laura said Kevin was brave throughout the process and worked hard to recover, especially after receiving a "life changing" bikini socket prosthetic.
"Since losing his leg, his main focus was to walk again," Laura added. "Because Kevin's amputation was so high, he was limited to the type of prosthetics he could get. There's not many been made for Kevin's type of prosthetic, and it took a long time for it to be sorted, but it was life-changing for Kevin.
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"He had been managing to do two-mile walks, which was really good because he hadn't been able to use his original prosthetic much. Having cancer and losing his leg had been a struggle, but Kevin always remained positive. It was a struggle, but he always fought back."
Following his first battle with cancer, Kevin attended follow-ups at The Beatson, with scans showing no signs of disease. However, his life was changed when he coughed up blood in February this year.
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Laura said: "We were just watching TV and he coughed, and coughed again, and this wee blood clot came out.
"We phoned A&E to get it checked out due to his history, which triggered some scans. A month later he went back to The Beatson where they confirmed his cancer was back.
"It was such a shock. We had been so focused and positive about the future and then we got this news.
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"We were told it was incurable, but treatable. There were tumours present in both lungs, so they wanted to treat him with six rounds of chemotherapy.
"Kevin completed three and got a progress scan. We were quite positive and wanted to remain hopeful that the chemo would work, but we got the news it had failed two weeks ago and that no other form of treatment would be offered."
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Since receiving the diagnosis, Kevin and Laura are still trying to stay positive by planning their wedding later this summer, keeping Kevin's six-year-old daughter Sophia-Grace happy, and also looking into alternative treatments and potential cures abroad.
Laura's cousin Claire launched a GoFundMe to help the family raise funds for alternative therapies, such as oxygen therapy, to keep Kevin healthy and get him well for other treatments abroad that aren't available in the UK. So far, the fundraiser has already brought in more than £5,000.
Laura added: "I would never wish this on anybody. I can't describe how horrific and traumatic it is. It's devastating for anyone going through it.
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"Kevin has a six-year-old daughter, and she has been shielded from a lot of it. She's been told her dad is really sick and that his hair might fall out. We try and keep it upbeat for her.
"We had our wedding booked for the end of the year, but Kevin's consultant suggested we move it forward to July time. It will be a lovely day for us to make memories.
"It's so overwhelming to know that you have so much out there from people you know and don't know. Even people that haven't been in a position to donate have shared it on social media.
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"When times are tough, you really do just appreciate the acts of kindness.
"It's just about seeing the good and keeping on going for Kevin's sake"
You can donate to Kevin's fundraiser online here - https://gofund.me/a4aed52f.
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