A Nantwich woman has revealed how neck pain she suffered for six years was put down to a trapped nerve – before a scan revealed a massive cancerous tumour in her shoulder.
Mel Leverton was continually reassured her neck and shoulder pain was a trapped nerve caused by collapsed vertebrae.
Scans were taken, consultations took place and surgery was offered.
But no medics in all that time spotted the pear-shaped tumour growing silently in her shoulder – until it had reached 14 centimetres and attached itself to her heart and lungs.
Now the 54-year-old Bentley Motors worker wants to raise awareness so other patients do not slip through the net when diagnosing the rare cancer sarcoma.
When she was finally diagnosed in June last year, it was too late to operate. She is receiving palliative care.
Despite her ordeal, she remains upbeat.
The mother-of-two said: “I’m a strong ox, a glass half-full type of person.
“I want to promote more awareness and specifically more training for doctors on spotting the symptoms of sarcoma.
“If my tumour had been spotted earlier, something might have been done before it got to this size.”
Mel had been seeing a spinal consultant for her pains. Scans taken over the six years had suggested collapsed vertebrae in her neck had caused a trapped nerve.
Early in 2024, she was told she could either live with the pain or have an operation on the vertebrae.
Mel – who had been losing weight and had trouble sleeping due to the problem – opted for surgery and went on a waiting list.
In June last year, she had a new consultant who told Mel he wanted a new MRI scan taken.
Afterwards, Mel was told the scan had found a pear-shaped mass in her shoulder attached to her heart and lungs that was 14cm in diameter.
“This was a massive shock,” she said.
A biopsy revealed she had a soft tissue sarcoma. There was no visible lump as the tumour was concealed in her shoulder.
Mel began chemotherapy at the Royal Stoke Hospital in October last year. In addition, a smaller tumour was found at the top of her abdomen.
She had chemotherapy every 21 days until the end of March 2025. After a three-month break, she resumed a new chemotherapy treatment, which is continuing.
Through it all, she has been supported by her partner Lee (pictured, above) and two grown-up children and has also found fundraising for charity Sarcoma UK has given her something to focus on.
A coffee morning at Richmond Villages care home in Nantwich raised £2,000 and a Christmas quiz is planned for the same venue.
Helen Stradling, Sarcoma UK Support Line Manager, said: “Mel’s story shows just how challenging sarcomas can be to diagnose – they sometimes hide deep in the body with symptoms that can easily be mistaken for more common conditions.
“By the time they’re detected, as in Mel’s case, treatment options can be severely limited and patients may face palliative care rather than curative treatment.
“That’s why raising awareness is so important, and we’re incredibly grateful to Mel for her dedication to fundraising and helping others understand the signs.
“Her determination to turn her experience into something positive for other patients is really inspiring.”
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