Suffolk mum's plea after rare cancer took daughter at 15
The family has since raised £51,000 for Sarcoma UK and want to spread awareness
A Suffolk mother whose daughter died from a rare cancer aged just 15 is sharing her story in the hope more people recognise the signs of the disease before it's too late.
When doctors told 12-year-old Izzy Sheppard she would need her entire leg amputated to remove an aggressive cancer, her first thoughts weren't for herself.
Instead, she turned to her family.
"At least it's me and not any of my other family members," she said.
Now, nearly four years after her death, her mother Sam hopes that same selflessness will become Izzy's legacy.
Speaking during Sarcoma Awareness Month, the Great Barton mum wants more people to recognise the symptoms of sarcoma, a rare cancer that can affect the bones and soft tissues, and seek help sooner.
"People need to be aware of it, aware of the symptoms, aware of the signs so that they can take action themselves," she said.
"It's so important to get diagnosed as early as possible."
A diagnosis no one expected
Before Izzy became ill, cancer was the last thing on her family's mind.
She had occasional knee pain and numbness in her leg, but there were none of the warning signs many people associate with cancer.
"There wasn't anything at all that made me think there was anything serious wrong with her," Sam said.
"She didn't lose weight. She didn't have headaches. She wasn't sick. She didn't have a visible lump. She didn't have anything that was obvious for her to have cancer."
Everything changed in January 2020 when Izzy phoned her mum from school.
"She called me... and she said, 'I can't walk.'"
Within hours, the family had travelled from their GP to West Suffolk Hospital and then Addenbrooke's Hospital, where doctors discovered a 13-centimetre tumour in Izzy's groin.
She was later diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, an exceptionally rare cancer. On average, just 79 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in England.
After chemotherapy failed to shrink the tumour enough, doctors said amputating her leg offered the best chance of removing the cancer.
"She was horrified by it because no 12-year-old wants to think that they're going to have their entire leg removed," Sam said.
"But... there wasn't any other choice."
Always thinking of others
Despite months of treatment, hospital stays and rehabilitation, Sam says Izzy never lost the qualities that made her who she was.
When friends and family raised money to support her recovery, Izzy decided she wanted any extra funds to help other patients instead.
"She actually said, 'I've got enough, let's start raising for Sarcoma UK.'"
Asked what her daughter was like, Sam smiles before answering.
"Izzy was funny and sassy and opinionated, but kind and lovely."
"She really was amazing."
She described her daughter as someone who always stood up for what she believed in and never shied away from speaking up for others.
The cancer returned
For a time, the family believed the treatment had worked.
Regular scans brought hope that Izzy had beaten the disease.
Then, in October 2022, while preparing for her GCSEs, she suffered a sudden brain bleed.
The cancer had returned and spread to her brain, lungs, kidney and adrenal gland.
"We thought that she was in the clear," Sam said.
"We only found out... when she had a brain bleed... She was out with friends and she effectively had a stroke at 15 years old."
Izzy died in December 2022.
"Nothing will bring our daughter back, but we hope to be able to help those who will be affected by sarcoma in the future, so maybe one day they won't have to endure what our daughter did," Sam said.
Keeping Izzy's legacy alive
Since Izzy's death, Sam and colleagues at utilities connections company Power On have raised more than £51,000 for Sarcoma UK through a series of fundraising challenges, with a 50km Kent Ultra Walk planned for October.
Sarcoma UK says Izzy's story highlights why greater awareness and research are urgently needed.
Research manager Emily Williams said current treatments can have significant side effects without guaranteeing success, and the charity is funding research aimed at developing more targeted treatments for sarcoma patients.
For Sam, the message is simple.
"I'd like to see more training, more education and more questioning of what things could be rather than just defaulting to the most common answer," she said.
"Education is so important throughout the healthcare system as well as individuals themselves."