A young woman told by specialists that her cancer was ‘too rare to return’ has sadly passed away at the age of 30.
Laura Ricaud was diagnosed with adamantinoma, a rare type of cancer that usually develops in the shinbone, in 2005.
Ricaud, who was 13 at the time, underwent treatment to have the largest part of her shin removed, before being told she was cancer-free in 2007.
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She was told that the cancer was so rare that it would never return.
With this reassurance, she spent the next 14 years living her best life, leaving her home country of France to study in England.
After running a half marathon in Leeds, she was given some devastating news.
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Ricaud had been experiencing chest pains for several months before being told by oncologists that nodules had appeared on her lungs.
A biopsy revealed that her cancer had returned and this time it was incurable.
Ricaud said: "My future, my hopes, my dreams were gone as quick as the snap of Thanos’ fingers in Avengers.
"The little discomfort I had been feeling was actually something that was slowly killing me."
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Following the devastating news, Laura left England both to seek a second opinion and be closer to her family.
She reflected on the timing of the situation and wrote: "Ironically, the beginning of my treatment coincided with beginning of the first lockdown in France.
"I took it as a sign that the universe was slowing down its course so I could follow the rhythm."
Ricaud's health went into decline, and she was in extreme discomfort for the next few months.
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Doctors informed her that there was further chemotherapy to try, although it was not known how effective it would be.
Ricaud reflected: "I am now in a race against time. If this is not an effective treatment, I may not be here to see 2024. I went from being shocked to just accepting it."
Ricaud tragically passed away on 24th January 2023, three years after her second adamantinoma diagnosis.
Ricaud's partner, Loic, found the story she had been writing to document her journey on a computer and shared it.
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Loic said: "Laura told me that adamantinoma is a cancer that mostly attacks children, and she found that incredibly unfair.
"She wanted to raise awareness of this rare disease and said: if my story can contribute to something, even if I am no longer here, I need to do it."
Ricaud is the face of the Bone Cancer Research Trust’s Sarcoma Awareness Month campaign this July.
For more information about bone cancer, visit https://www.bcrt.org.uk/information/information-by-type/adamantinoma/
Featured Image Credit: Bone Cancer Research Trust