'I was awake when my leg was amputated - I can still hear the saw'

A mum of four had to undergo an amputation of her leg while conscious after knee pain during a run turned out to stem from a benign tumour the size of a peach. Camilla Collins, 45, who led an "very active" lifestyle, was suddenly struck by sharp knee pain in 2018 during one of her runs.

After investigations, doctors discovered a non-malignant yet forceful tumour measuring 6cm by 8cm (2.4in by 3.2in) within her bone. Despite attempts to surgically remove it, the tumour proved tenacious and "clung on".

With the stark choice between amputation or risking the tumour spreading to her internal organs, she braved an extensive operation to have her right leg removed. This occurred while she was conscious and isolated from family due to the commencement of the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 – an ordeal so intense she can "still hear the bone saw" echoing in her ears.

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Living in Camberley with her husband Henry Collins, 46, and their children, whose names she prefers to keep private, Camilla has undergone no less than eight surgeries on her leg. Following multiple complications with prosthetic fittings, she is now considering a ninth and potentially final surgery.

This entails fusing metal into her bone to seamlessly integrate a prosthetic limb, which would enable her to walk and relish in the simple joys of day-to-day life. However, as this procedure isn't covered by the , the costs might soar up to £140,000.

In response, Camilla's family and friends have started a GoFundMe campaign to gather the necessary funds for her treatment.

"Your children's years are such a small amount of time and they're really precious – it's really frustrating when you can't do things with them," said Camilla, grappling with the challenges of a severe physical condition. "I've never been able to hold the hand of my youngest child while crossing a road because I've been on crutches or not able to walk.

"There are so many things I want to do – even ordinary things such as loading the dishwasher, hanging out the washing and going on the school run without worrying. People always assume an amputee will get a prosthetic, which they can and everyone has access, but whether it works out for you in the way you hope, it's not always like that."

Camilla recounted how in October 2018, she was out running when she encountered "excruciating" pain just below her right knee. Initially dismissing it as either a strain or shin splint and resting accordingly, the situation escalated as she began to suffer from "nasty ache in the bone" during the night.

After consulting her GP and proceeding to have an X-ray at her local hospital, a substantial mass was detected. Further explorations at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford led to her diagnosis with Giant Cell Tumour of the bone.

While these growths are often benign, according to Sarcoma UK, they have the potential to grow rapidly, behave aggressively, and there is a rare chance they can become cancerous.

Camilla faced a challenging health journey, enduring two procedures – one in January 2019 to remove a tumour and fill the void with bone cement, followed by another in October 2019 that involved substituting a segment of her tibia and knee joint with metal. Despite these efforts, the growth of the tumour persisted, extending into her soft tissue, and post the second surgery she lost mobility in her right foot.

"I kept thinking I was going to wake up and it was going to be a strange dream," Camilla recounted. In January 2020, her doctor advised that amputation was imperative for her survival.

"If it was on the loose, it could go to my lungs," she explained. "I had almost reached that point anyway and I thought it would be the best chance of being mobile again by going down the prosthetic route. I remained optimistic."

In a stark turn of fate, her amputation was carried out at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, north-west London, coinciding with the first week of the national lockdown on March 24, 2020. “Henry had to drop me at the door with all my stuff,” she shared about the daunting experience.

"I was really scared and I did feel really alone. The anaesthetists explained they weren't going to use general anaesthetic because you've got tubes going directly into your airways and they were concerned about how Covid was spreading."

Camilla revealed that she was given an injection into her spine to numb her lower half, but the sounds of the surgery still haunt her. "I can still hear it in my head now, the bone saw, it was really loud," she shared. "It never goes and it replays in your head."

Due to the pandemic, Camilla was sent home just two days after the operation to recover, reducing her risk of contracting coronavirus.

"I set about trying to find out how I can make myself the strongest possible, both physically and mentally," she explained. "For me, as a mother, that was the best and only way forward."

She began doing yoga and Pilates exercises to regain her strength, and she would consult with her physiotherapists over Zoom. Six weeks post-amputation, Camilla started looking into prosthetics to get back on her feet – but years of complications ensued.

The cast-made socket on a prosthetic, created from a mould of Camilla's leg, caused severe pain and created friction within her residual limb. Between 2020 and 2024, Camilla underwent four more operations to revise the amputation and correct complications, but in March this year, an MRI scan discovered a "huge volume of fluid" in her leg.

Her doctors then introduced her to a procedure known as osseointegration – a prosthetic surgery where the bone becomes fused with a metal implant, eliminating the need for a socket. "Hearing this, I lit up... I felt reassured there was still the possibility I could have the opportunity to walk again," she said.

However, the surgery is not available on the NHS and Camilla estimates it could cost £140,000 – prompting her loved ones to set up a GoFundMe page where they will be organising fundraising events to help with the fees, raising more than £1,800 so far. "It would be a complete game-changer, it would give me back so many possibilities and allow me to enjoy everyday life with my family," Camilla said.

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