Horrific moment teen boxer’s leg SNAPS ‘spontaneously’ during a fight – before 16-year-old has his leg amputated after being diagnosed with a rare bone cancer
This is the horrific moment a teenage boxer’s leg broke during a fight – before his leg was amputated after he was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer.
Ollie Hercombe, 16, was sparring at a boxing gym in Birmingham on March 18 when his right shin broke while stepping backwards.
His sparring partner and coach were all stunned by the injury as no physical contact had been made with his leg.
Ollie was rushed to hospital and put in a cast – before an X-ray revealed his leg broke because he had a cancerous leg tumour.
The teenage boxing enthusiast decided the best option was to opt for an above-the-knee amputation instead of a less safe cancer removal surgery.
Now Ollie is trying to raise £70,000 for a high-tech bionic limb so he can get back into the ring.
In early 2022, he started having intermittent problems with his right shin and a lump formed, which was due to shin splints. The teen simply ignored the pain and continued with five-mile runs and daily gym sessions.
But after the in-ring injury, his options were a long, painful and risky surgery to remove the cancer from his leg with a long recovery process, or an above-the-knee amputation.
This is the horrific moment Ollie Hercombe’s leg ‘spontaneously’ broke during a fight, forcing his leg to be amputated
The 16-year-old was sparring at a boxing gym in Birmingham on March 18 when he took a step back and broke his right shin. In the photo: Ollie in the hospital in a cast
Now the boxing fanatic is raising £70,000 for a high-tech bionic limb so he can get back in the ring
The sports fanatic was desperate to get back on his feet and decided an amputation would give him the best chance.
The amputation took place on May 13 during a three-hour operation.
Ollie, from Smith’s Wood, Solihull, West Midlands, said: ‘The pain after the leg broke was terrible. They gave me the options and I wanted to decide for myself what was best for me and then continue with sports.
‘I’ve had some dark days and nights since the amputation, but I think I’ve dealt with it the best I can.
“I know 100 percent that I made the right decision.”
Ollie grew up playing the sport as soon as he could walk, going to the gym three times a week to train. Pictured: Ollie before the amputation
Ollie decided the best option was to opt for an above-the-knee amputation rather than a less safe cancer removal surgery. In the photo after the amputation
Ollie imagined himself sparring just before his leg broke in the ring
Ollie’s sparring partner and coach were all stunned by the injury as no physical contact had been made to his leg
His mother Kerry Bolton, 45, who works as a personal trainer, said: ‘He has been an active child from a very young age.
“He ran five miles the day before his leg broke.
‘Ollie knew straight away that if he had the amputation he would be able to continue boxing and the cancer would be less likely to recur.’
Ollie was sparring at Acocks Green Boxing Gym when the accident happened.
Despite no physical contact being made against his leg, his right shin broke out of nowhere when he stepped on it. Doctors knew immediately that it broke too easily to have been just an impact fracture – and feared the worst.
He was rushed to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham and a scan revealed ‘pitting’ – weakness in the shin bone, which had caused the fracture. A biopsy was taken and the boy was put in a full leg cast.
Ollie Hercombe with his mother Kerry Bolton, 45,
Ollie inhales gas and air to numb the pain as he lies in the ring after the leg break
Kerry said: “He was suffering from what we thought were shin splints. Over time, he would occasionally say that his leg was a little sore after a run or gym session, but that was all.”
He returned to school with the help of a wheelchair until doctors called the family to let them know the results of a biopsy.
It turned out that he had a rare bone cancer, adamantinoma, which slowly weakened the bone over the years.
The cancer could not be treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy, leaving doctors with two options.
The cancer could not be treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy. Pictured: Ollie before the amputation
They revealed they could remove the cancer and reconstruct the leg – a 14-hour operation with the risk of the cancer returning and requiring Ollie to wear a leg brace for 18 months.
The alternative was an above-the-knee amputation at the Royal Orthopedic Hospital in Birmingham, which Ollie thought would get him back in the ring much sooner.
He said: ‘When they explained the decisions I had already set my mind on amputation.
“And as soon as I knew the cancer had a chance of coming back if I kept the leg, I knew the leg had to go.”
On May 13, he went under the knife as he was assured that his amputated limb would be donated to science to be used for further research into the condition.
After the operation, Ollie struggled with the pain – and was ‘screaming, pleading, hyperventilating’.
He said: ‘I started having panic attacks, I thought I was going to die.’
The Genium
But over time he started to heal – and now he’s looking forward to how he can get back in the ring and box again.
Ollie’s research has led him to set his sights on a state-of-the-art bionic limb made by Ottobock.
The Genium X3 would allow him to play sports, including his beloved boxing, and adapt to his movements.
The family are trying to raise £70,000 to give him his own leg, but they are only halfway to the target.
Ollie – who will take his final exams later this year once he has recovered – said: “It would mean a lot to me to have this leg, I could do what everyone else can do and more.
“I want to run marathons and I want to do all these things to raise money, it’s inspired me.
“Losing my leg gave me a new breath of fresh air and I want to prove that I can do what everyone else can do.
‘I want to show people that losing a leg is not the end of the world.’
So far, Ollie has raised £47,000 for the new stage.
Donate to GoFundMe here.
