It has now spread to her lungsNewsOliver Astley Content editor, Alex Driscoll Breaking news reporter and Hannah Van De Peer, SWNS
10:52, 08 May 2025
Christine Lote had her leg amputated after a ‘running injury’ turned out to be stage four cancer.(Image: SWNS)
A mum had her lower leg amputated and part of her right lung removed after a “running injury” turned out to be stage four cancer.
Christine Lote, 41, was an avid runner before her mystery injury – which left her with a swollen right foot.
Assuming she’d hurt herself while out jogging, she saw a physiotherapist for two years and received steroid injections.
But after the birth of her daughter, Sophie, in June 2021, she had a routine ultrasound on her foot while in Southmead Hospital, Bristol – which revealed a large mass on her bone.
In January 2022, a biopsy confirmed the mass was cancerous – and after a failed attempt to remove it, the only option left was to amputate the leg below the knee in May 2023.
After one year cancer-free, a routine MRI showed Christine’s cancer had returned – this time in both lungs.
Now Christine feels like she’s “living on borrowed time” and she’s determined to make the most out of her young family for as long as she can.
Christine Lote, pictured left, with her family.(Image: SWNS)
Mum-of-two Christine, a solicitor, from Bristol, said: “To be honest, I was s**t scared when I was diagnosed – now I don’t feel like I can let myself plan too far ahead.
“As the mum of a young family, I hope to live to see my daughters go to school.
“But I’m very much living my life in three-month chunks – between each scan.”
In 2020, Christine noticed she had a throbbing pain in her right foot and saw it was slightly swollen.
She found she couldn’t get an in-person appointment with a GP due to lockdown restrictions – so booked in a session with a private physiotherapist, as recommended by some friends.
The mum was diagnosed by the physiotherapist with peroneal tendonitis – a condition which means the tendons on the outside of the ankle are inflamed.
“We were all under the misapprehension it was a running injury,” Christine said.
“I’d been receiving steroid injections before Sophie was born in June 2021.
“I couldn’t carry on with the injections during my pregnancy – but I picked them back up just afterwards.”
Christine with her partner.(Image: SWNS)
After giving birth at Southmead Hospital, Christine received a routine ultrasound on her right foot to check the progress of her injury.
Christine’s doctor told her she hadn’t been suffering from tendonitis – but instead had a mass on her foot.
She was referred back to her GP, and booked in for an MRI.
“They didn’t tell me how large the mass was – I don’t think my doctor wanted to say too much,” Christine said.
“I just wanted to get to the route of the pain so I was like ‘OK, fine – I’m not too concerned’.”
In December 2021, after months of tests, Christine was referred to the Nuffield Health Centre, Oxford, for a biopsy.
One month later, she was told she had stage four angiosarcoma – a rare and aggressive type of cancer.
Christine had her surgery to remove the tumour in March 2022 – and described the procedure as “taking an ice cream scoop to the mass”.
She said: “My scans all looked positive, for a year afterwards.
“I got pregnant with my second daughter, Chloe, now two, in mid-2022 – and I wasn’t able to get any scans in the meantime.
“After she was born, in February 2023, a scan confirmed our worst fears – there had been a recurrence of the cancer.
“I was petrified, because I knew it meant the operation had failed – and I’d need an amputation.”
Christine’s leg was amputated in June 2023.(Image: SWNS)
Christine’s below-the-knee amputation took place in June 2023 and she enjoyed a cancer-free life for one year.
She received a scan on her lungs every three months – because the cancer has a high risk of spreading to other organs.
Christine is now fundraising for Cancer Research.(Image: SWNS)
In June 2024, the day of Chloe’s first birthday, Christine received the news that the cancer had metastasised to her lungs.
Christine has undergone multiple operations in the last year to remove the tumours – and has lost one-third of her right lung.
She hasn’t been told anything about her prognosis – but is determined to live her life to the full, in three-month chunks.
She’s now training to ride the Tour de Four bike ride on September 7 – fundraising for Cancer Research.
“People have asked me why I’m not raising money for my specific type of cancer – but we’re all facing the same sort of thing,” she said.
“It’s a s**t disease – and we want to eliminate it in all forms.”
Christine’s fundraiser can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/my-tour-de-4-fundraiser-to-fight-cancer-zwnm5