Leeds student with rare bone cancer dies aged 30 - 17 years after being told adamantinoma would not return

Laura Ricaud was diagnosed with adamantinoma, a cancer that typically develops in the shinbone, in 2005 at the age of 13.

Two years later, with treatments, including the removal of the largest part of her shin and its replacement, Laura was told she was cancer-free. She was reassured by her specialist at the time that her cancer, being rare, would never return.

While studying in Leeds, Laura received the news that her cancer had returned – and this time, it was terminal. She had been experiencing pain in her chest for several months and was informed by oncologists that nodules were visible on her lungs.

A biopsy revealed that it was in fact the same cancer she was diagnosed with 17 years ago. Laura said: “My future, my hopes, my dreams were gone as quick as the snap of Thanos’ fingers in Avengers. The little discomfort I had been feeling was actually something that was slowly killing me.”

Following the news, Laura left England both to seek a second opinion and to be closer to her family but her health deteriorated quickly and she spent the months that followed in much discomfort. Doctors informed her that there was further chemotherapy she could try.

Laura said: “I am now in a race against time. If this is not an effective treatment, I may not be here to see 2024. I went from being shocked to just accepting it.”

Laura died on January, 24 this year, three years after her second adamantinoma diagnosis. Her partner, Loic, found the story she had been writing to document her journey on a computer.

They said: “Laura told me that adamantinoma is a cancer that mostly attacks children, and she found that incredibly unfair. She wanted to raise awareness of this rare disease and said: if my story can contribute to something, even if I am no longer here, I need to do it.”

Laura Ricaud is the face of the Bone Cancer Research Trust’s sarcoma awareness month campaign this July. The initiative was set-up to raise vital awareness of sarcomas and to find out more, visit the Bone Cancer Research Trust website.