Sydney tradie, 22, has leg amputated after osteosarcoma diagnosis; now fundraising with 100km walk

Cooper Sterling, a 22-year-old construction worker from Beaumont Hills in Sydney, had his right leg amputated above the knee in March after doctors diagnosed him with osteosarcoma and chemotherapy failed to halt the tumour's growth.

Sterling first noticed a dull ache in his knee late last year that progressively worsened. By December he struggled to bend the leg and experienced constant pain. After enduring the discomfort for weeks, he sought medical attention in January and underwent an ultrasound, X-ray and further scans including MRI and CT. A biopsy days later confirmed osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer most commonly diagnosed in teenagers and young adults.

Two weeks after his diagnosis, Sterling began chemotherapy. He said the treatment made him "violently sick every day," caused severe weight loss and ultimately had no measurable effect on the tumour after four rounds. Medical teams told him the mass was growing and becoming dangerously close to wrapping around a main artery in his leg, leaving surgeons with two stark choices: attempt an uncertain limb-sparing resection with a high risk that residual cells would lead to recurrence, or proceed with amputation to remove all affected tissue.

Sterling said he chose amputation to save his life. In March 2025 surgeons removed his leg 12 centimetres above the knee. He said the operation was a "major success," later telling reporters the surgical team had removed "100 percent" of the cancer. He was walking with a walker within 48 hours and discharged from hospital nine days after the procedure.

Family and his partner, Tori, remained at his side throughout diagnosis and treatment. Sterling said Tori slept in hospital recliners during his chemotherapy sessions and stood with him at medical appointments. In July, months after the surgery, he proposed to her.

Sterling has documented his experience online and drawn thousands of supporters. He has also turned to fundraising and rehabilitation challenges as part of his recovery. He is scheduled to walk 100 kilometres with a friend this September as part of the Go the Distance campaign to raise money for Sydney’s Chris O’Brien Lifehouse cancer centre. The pair have raised about $18,000 so far, and Sterling said training at his local sports centre has been both a physical test and a way to give back.

Medical teams treating osteosarcoma typically consider several factors when planning care, including tumour size, location and whether chemotherapy reduces the cancer before surgery. Limb-sparing procedures can be an option when complete removal is achievable without endangering major blood vessels or leaving significant residual disease, while amputation can be recommended when clear surgical margins cannot be secured by other means.

Sterling said he weighed the options quickly. "I wanted to get back to my life as soon as possible, so for me, the amputation was a no-brainer," he said. He added that, while he was not afraid of dying, he was afraid of leaving Tori behind. The couple plan to move in together and rebuild their careers after stepping away for treatment.

Doctors and rehabilitation specialists typically focus on wound healing, infection prevention and early mobilisation after major limb amputation, followed by prosthetic assessment and physiotherapy when appropriate. Sterling said he felt "very, very blessed" by his recovery to that point and that he had not suffered infections in the immediate post-operative period.

He also said he hoped sharing his story would provide perspective for others facing cancer diagnoses. "So much of what you find when you Google a cancer diagnosis is doom and gloom," he said. "I wanted to show people that it isn't necessarily a death sentence."

With active treatment now concluding and rehabilitation underway, Sterling is concentrating on fitness, fundraising and planning his next steps. "I feel very lucky that I got the chance to lose my leg, because the alternative could have been not being here at all," he said. "Life's too short to take for granted. I know that now more than ever."