Richard Beechey is a Sales Manager from Stamford in Lincolnshire. He was treated at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) for a liposarcoma. Here, he tells his story in his own words.

“Over the past 25 years or so I have been troubled by a recurring atypical lipoma, which is a benign soft tissue tumour. Over this period I had it surgically removed three times, latterly twice at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH). The tumour was large and embedded deep within my upper right chest area and under my right armpit. As nerves and vital arteries were embedded within the tumour, it was never possible to completely remove it and any procedure had the aim of removing as much tissue as possible from the mass. A procedure under Mr Scott Evans in July 2018, resulted in 1.2kg of tissue being removed, and it was estimated that around the same amount remained.

“Over the coming year, it was clear to me that the tumour was growing back aggressively, and at a follow-up and MRI scan in August 2019, Mr Evans was concerned enough to advise that a biopsy should be arranged asap. I had previously been warned that each time the tumour grows back, there was an increasing likelihood of cells becoming cancerous. The biopsy was arranged shortly after, and whilst at work, I received a call from Emma-May of the Oncology department that unfortunately it had revealed cancerous cells and they now needed to get rid of the whole tumour and that an appointment would be made for a consultation with Mr Evans in the near future.

“In September, my wife Lynn and I travelled to ROH to meet with Mr Evans and his team. During the consultation, it was confirmed that the tumour was now classed as a dedifferentiated liposarcoma due to its cancerous content. My wife and I prepared ourselves for the worst news, and Mr Evans advised that the only possible way to completely remove the tumour was to perform a forequarter amputation of my right arm. This is a disfiguring and life-changing procedure, and the news slowly sunk in during an emotional few minutes. Then Mr Evans made us aware that although the result was disfiguring, there was an opportunity to undergo a reconstruction which to the best of his knowledge had only ever been performed once previously in Japan. He suggested that we take break before going into detail, and he would ask a plastic surgeon colleague, Mr Jagadeesan, to join us upon our return.

“Lynn and I went outside for some fresh air and inevitably had a few tears. We decided to call our daughter Amy to give her the news, who had only a couple of weeks previously started her first job after university. Amy took the news in her usual stoic manner and assured me that I would be fine.
“Upon returning to the consultation, Mr Evans introduced Mr Jagadeesan and explained the procedure that was technically known as a reconstruction of the right shoulder using a free vascular osteo-myocutaneous forearm flap. Due to the fact that a forequarter amputation results in the loss of a shoulder and hence the symmetrical shape of the upper body, the reconstruction would be to fix part of my amputated right arm back on which would result in my elbow replacing my shoulder to give a symmetrical solution. Mr Evans and Mr Jagadeesan seemed keen to proceed with this solution, which the former referred to as “the funky version”! I was made aware that there were some additional risks and that the procedure would extend to around 9-10 hours as compared to around 2 hours for a standard fore-quarter amputation of an arm.

“Throughout 2020, life continued pretty much as normal (notwithstanding Covid) and I adapted to life as an amputee. My mindset was that my situation should have the absolute minimum effect on my life and the life of those around me. I focussed on the positive nature of the reconstruction part of the process, thinking how it could have been worse if I had not been in the fortunate position to have this done. I can honestly say that I have not had any negative days, and am still living life to the full – quickly adapting and enjoying the challenge of digging the garden, planting shrubs, mowing the lawn, cooking, housework, cleaning the cars (look out – one handed pressure washing can get a bit wild!) socialising and enjoying holidays (when possible). I have a variety of gadgets and aids – a spinner on the car steering wheel, electric corkscrew and salt/pepper mills, one handed forks with serrated edges etc. I do suffer from “phantom limb pain”, which is a bit weird to begin with, and varies in intensity.

“The love and support of family and friends has been overwhelming, and they quickly realise that I am the same old me, just with a bit missing. During the latter part of 2021, I started to get back to rehearsing with my band The Amber Squad which was first formed in the late 70’s. This culminated in our first “come back” gig – our first since 2019 (my last with two arms!). The concert in my home town was sold out and was a very emotional event. Also, early in the New Year a couple of friends took me fishing, a hobby I have enjoyed since I was 11, and am determined to conquer in my present state. They adapted the tackle set up so that the rod was supported and I could cast and wind with my left hand. I managed to catch three pike, the largest being 15lb 4 oz, in a most memorable day.
“In December last year, I also undertook the annual 5km ‘Santa Fun Run’ in Burghley Park, in memory of my dear step-father-in-law, who we lost to cancer in 2021.