My name is Amanda Williams. This time last year I was just starting full on pre-season training for my State cricket team. I was an athlete, healthy, never smoked, rarely drank alcohol, and training and exercise was an almost everyday occurance for me.

Only a few months in to pre-season I fell ill. In August of 2015 I noticed a lump on my chest wall/back so I went to the doctors. After many tests/scans and a biopsy, it was found out to be a very rare form of Cancer known as Synovial Sarcoma. Sarcomas in themselves are rare, and this was not only a rare type of sarcoma, but it was also in an uncommon position being on my chest wall.

To get this news was heartbreaking not only for me, but for family and friends also. It meant I had to stop pursuing my cricketing goals and put everything on hold immediately to put my health first.

There was no time to mess about because of the nature and agressiveness of the cancer. Treatment was fast to start with Chemotherapy starting only 2 weeks from diagnosis. I had to make huge decisions about my future very quickly before anything started. Radiation and surgery were also treatments that I had to endure in order to hopefully recover.

As I stand now, I am 10 months post-diagnosis and 4 months post-surgery. It was not (as still is not to an extent) an easy road to go down, but for me it was my only choice and I threw everything I had towards my treatment and getting better. The future is still a little of an unknown, with frequent and regular scans needed for the next 10 years of my life at least, hoping each time that they will remain to be clear.

Being that I am now 4 months past my surgery, I am feeling more and more able to take on fitness goals every day. My body is slowly recovering from the intensive treatments it had to endure. At this stage, it is looking too early for me to play any form of cricket, with physiotherapy sessions still happening weekly for me to help address movement and scar tissue issues I have been left with in my shoulder/chest wall.

My aim now is to take part in the 2016 Ride to Conquer Cancer. My physical limitations will not stop me from riding a bicycle and my sporting background means I  love to push and challenge myself. I would love to ride with the Sock It To Sarcoma team, alongside other sarcoma patients and also a lot of the medical proffessionals and surgeons who assisted me through my own personal treatment.

I have set a goal of $4000 which is a bit of a guide, but to take part in the ride the minimum I need to raise is $2,500 however I would really love to raise as much as possible to go towards this cause. I'd like to thank everybody who helped me through my treatment, weather it be friends who kept me company whilst I was having chemo, people who caught up for coffee with me, those who were close by my side through the whole treatment, those who visited me in hospital after my surgery or even those who just sent me a message of encouragement. It all ment so much to me as I was going through it all to know I had that support.

Cancer is tough enough to go through, but when it is something as rare as sarcoma, it makes it that much harder. If you could donate anything, even a small amount, it would mean a lot to myself and every other sarcoma patient out there who has gone through or is going through treatment. The more we can raise, the more we can put towards learning more about this rare and aggressive form of cancer. Thankyou :)