Jen Zamparelli spoke with one of Ireland's leading female motivational speakers and adaptive adventurists about the upcoming Vhi Women's Mini Marathon. Listen back above.
At the age of 16, Nikki Bradley found a lump in her pelvis that was eventually revealed to be a tumor, leading her to be diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma.
"That was the beginning of a new life that I now love," she explains. "I didn't love it at the time; having to go through chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and I had to have invasive surgery over in London."
Thankfully, Bradley has been cancer free since this treatment but the radiotherapy treatment did cause severe damage to the bone in her right hip.
The adventurer spent 15 years undergoing multiple surgeries and battling infections to try and save her leg until 2021 when she underwent a rotation-plasty.
"Essentially, it's a form of amputation where they remove the lower half of your leg, rotate it 180 degrees, and actually re-attach it. They say it's the best form of recycling because the only part of my right leg that ever caused me a problem was in my hip, the rest of my leg was perfectly functional and it seemed such a shame to get rid of it when it could be used in other ways, and this was the solution."
Now, having persevered through a very difficult recovery, and having received a brand new prosthetic, she says her drive and determination to succeed has never been stronger.
"I didn't stand with two firm feet for well over a decade so my balance was always off," she explains.
"When I put on that prosthetic and felt what it felt like to stand on two firm feet, honestly, it was one of the best things that I've ever experienced. It brought my whole family to tears and myself included, and I'll never forget it."
Despite all obstacles thrown her way, the Donegal woman has spent years becoming an adaptive adventurist and inclusion advocate over the years, taking part in physical feats such as the grueling 24km Fan Dance trek in Wales.
In 2013, she decided to set up an awareness campaign called Fighting Fit for Ewings which included many fun and physical challenges.
"We decided to have a bit of fun with it and I would do all these unusual challenges like one of them was abseiling off a lighthouse, I scaled a glacier, I did a Four Peak challenge - all of these different types of things."
Now recovered from her surgery, she says she is ready to set herself more challenges, starting with the VHI Women's Mini Marathon, of which she is a proud ambassador.
"To now be able to sign up and join forces with the VHI Women's Mini Marathon and set my first adventure goal post-op is unbelievable."
Filling in Jen on her training, Bradley says she hasn't yet done a 10k but is having a lot of fun in the run-up, and has heard great feedback from others signing up for the race.
"It's open to everyone of all abilities," she reminds listeners. "I'll be doing it on my crutches, obviously, and you can walk, run or jog."
"I myself will be doing a weird walk-jog hybrid," she adds, laughing.
VHI Women's Mini Marathon 2023 takes place around Dublin on Sunday, June 4 at 12:30pm.
