Sarcoma Awareness Month: Life GoesĀ On
For former Royal Navy engineer Shane Henry, physical training has always been a way to find focus. In 2018, having just turned 40, he decided to channel his energy into the Strongman circuit. He was hitting new personal milestones in the gym and building momentum when a sudden, persistent pain above his right knee brought his routine to an unexpected halt.
What followed was a frustrating period of months spent trying to find answers while the swelling grew severely. By the summer of 2019, Shane woke in agony, unable to stand, forcing an immediate trip to the hospital.
Tests at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth revealed a shocking reality: Shane had osteosarcoma, and the tumour had already grown to the size of a grapefruit. Within weeks of hearing a diagnosis that felt completely foreign, his life changed forever as he underwent a six-hour operation to amputate his right leg.
I had felt that I am never going to be a good dad or a husband. You have got to grieve for yourself and realise you will never be that person again. My life over the last few years has been like a phoenix from the flames.
Shane Henry
Coming round from surgery to find his leg gone was a profound shock. Because his family lived in a third-floor flat that he could no longer access, Shane was also temporarily classed as homeless while the local council sought accessible accommodation. He then spent six months on a cancer ward at Southampton General Hospital undergoing chemotherapy, a period that included a life-threatening ten-day stay in intensive care fighting sepsis.
By November 2019, Shane, his wife Emma, and their children moved into an adapted flat, and he received his first prosthetic leg. At 42 years old, he had to learn how to walk again from scratch, tackling the slow, challenging process of trusting his body with typical humour and determination.
During the pandemic lockdowns, Shane discovered the disabled Strongman community on social media. The discovery reignited his competitive passion. He signed up for the World Championships in Birmingham in November 2024, and though he placed last, the experience gave him a true taste for the sport.
In 2025, Shane took on a dedicated coach and went on to secure podium finishes in three separate competitions. Today, at 48, he is ranked number three in Great Britain and has set his sights firmly on the number one spot by the end of the year. He has rebuilt his identity, showing his son Callum, 17, and daughter Abbie, 11, that a life-altering diagnosis does not mean the end of your ambitions.
Turning personal stories into clinical breakthroughs
Shane’s experience with osteosarcoma highlights the critical need for better, faster pathways for patients. To address this, Sarcoma UK has invested more than Ā£1.2 million into osteosarcoma research across leading UK universities.
Researchers are working from multiple angles to transform outcomes. This includes developing precision immunotherapies that destroy tumours while leaving healthy tissue unharmed, investigating why certain cancer cells manage to survive chemotherapy, and developing a blood test to catch osteosarcoma much earlier. This vital work aims to prevent diagnostic delays and spare future patients the life-altering consequences that Shane faced.
Read next: Samanthaās story
How triathlete Samantha Boswell rebuilt her fitness and returned to racing after sarcoma
A return to the podiumSupporting you and our community
Contact our Support Line
Not everyone understands sarcoma. We do.
Get in touch forĀ friendly, expert, confidential andĀ freeĀ advice on anything to do with sarcoma.
Find a support group
Meet others and get valuable support and information for patients, carers and family members. There are groups all over the UK, online and for different people such as parents and those whose loved one has died.
Ways to give back
Your unique experiences can change things for the better.
Whether you want to take on a personal challenge like Shane, volunteer your time, or simply share your story to raise awareness, there are so many ways to help our community move forward.
Fund our vital work
Help us ensure no one faces a diagnosis alone. Every single gift helps us fund cutting edge research, invest in early diagnosis projects, and keep our vital Support Line running when it counts the most.
About Sarcoma UK
We are the national charity for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer. We fund cutting edge research, campaign for better treatments, and work to enable earlier diagnosis so that everyone in our community can live longer and betterĀ lives.
About Sarcoma UK
We are the national charity for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer. We fund cutting edge research, campaign for better treatments, and work to enable earlier diagnosis so that everyone in our community can live longer and betterĀ lives.
