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Regan Walker: Ex-Bury player on Ewing's Sarcoma recovery and becoming a fashion influencer

Ex-Bury player Regan Walker talks about his cancer recovery

By Jay Freeman
BBC Sport

"I never smoked, never drank, I thought I was invincible. Then it happened and now I am so much more aware and appreciative of waking up everyday because cancer doesn't care, it can happen to anybody."

Regan Walker has quite a story to tell. He wanted to become a footballer and, at the age of 11, had earned a spot with Manchester City's youth setup before later ing Bury, where he turned professional.

And while it is not uncommon for many young players to see that dream ended before the age of 20, Walker's story is a bit different.

A pain in his leg, initially diagnosed as a muscle problem, turned out to be far more serious. The cancer he was suffering from ended his football career, but ultimately also set him off on a new path to becoming a successful fashion model and social media influencer.

The 25-year-old spoke to BBC Sport about his journey.

'I had a 30-centimetre tumour on my femur'

After making three senior appearances for the Shakers in 2013-14, Walker left the club. But, prior to his exit, he had been experiencing excruciating pain in his right thigh.

"I got the leg scanned and then that's how we found out what happened, by accident. I was originally scanned when I was at Bury 12 months prior to finding out and I was diagnosed wrong, which led to me being in pain for a lot longer than it should have been," he told BBC Sport.

"I had a tumour on my femur and it had grown to nearly 30cm long. I found out and it was slap bang into the tests and to chemo."

Walker underwent tests and a biopsy at a hospital in Oswestry where he was eventually diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects bones or the tissue around bones.

Ewing's Sarcoma makes up 14% of all bone sarcoma diagnoses, according to Sarcoma UK, and mainly affects teenagers and young people.

Regan Walker made three appearances for Bury, with his last coming as a 78th-minute substitute against Morecambe on 3 May 2014Martin Ogden

Regan Walker made three appearances for Bury, with his last coming as a 78th-minute substitute against Morecambe on 3 May 2014

What would follow would be 12 months of intense chemotherapy as well as operations to rebuild his leg.

He continued: "I was so confused for so long, and I was like 'what is this">