A teenager told she had range of ailments from a slipped disc to damaged ligaments was horrified when doctors realised she actually had cancer. Dion Yates, 15, had been in agony for months before her devastating diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare but deadly form of bone cancer that affects young people. By the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had spread to her spine, womb, bladder, bowel and pelvis. Dion Yates (left before her diagnosis and right, after treatment) suffered pains in her legs for months - and was diagnosed with a slipped disc and ligament damage before the devastating news she had rare bone cancer . By the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had spread to her spine, womb, bladder, bowel and pelvis. Dion is pictured with her sister Jacy (left) and mother Kerry (right) But teenager, from Moray, Scotland, says she is determined not to be beaten by the disease - and has just shown a remarkable response to treatment and a new drug. She told the Daily Record: 'When they told me I had cancer it was a relief because at least they knew what it was and they could start to believe me, as I was in pain for so long.' In the six months since she was diagnosed, Dion has endured seven rounds of life-saving surgery and been given more than 60 pints of blood. However she has already defied doctors' expectations by being active just weeks after gruelling treatment. Doctors had warned it was so intensive that Dion would need a wheelchair for two years. She has also lost her hair due to the drugs. Ewing's sarcoma is a rare bone and tissue cancer. It can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, and rarely affects older people. The tumour can develop anywhere in the body, but is usually found in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis, or the chest. It often spreads to the lungs and other bones. There are few symptoms, but the most common is pain, and occasionally swelling, at the site of the tumour. Fever may also develop. Treatment involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. The five-year survival for localised disease is 70 per cent to 80 per cent when treated with chemotherapy. Despite being back on her feet, she is expected to need hip replacement surgery in three years, due to bone damage from the treatment. However it does mean the tumour has already shrunk by more than half - and just days after finishing six months of treatment in hospital, Dion has returned to school. She told the Record she now can't wait to go on holiday with her family and swim with dolphins - and also wants to take up kick boxing. Her mother Kerry, 36, said: 'She never lets anything get her down.'Even when she lost all her hair she said, "Oh well, it will save me having to do it in the mornings". She always looks on the positive side of everything. The teenager's ordeal began when she got pains in her leg last November. They became so excruciating she would beg her mother for a hot bath in the middle of the night to ease the pain. Over the next six months, her mother took her to the GP, where she was given diagnoses ranging from a slipped disc to damaged ligaments. It took until she could barely walk for the condition to be taken seriously. After going to A&E in Middlesbrough, while visiting her father, Dion was given an X-ray and then an MRI scan. To the family's horror, this revealed there was a tumour pressing against her sciatic nerve, which runs down the leg from the buttock. In the six months since she was diagnosed, Dion has had seven rounds of life-saving surgery and been given more than 60 pints of blood . It is hoped that Dion, with older sister, Jacy (left), will finish treatment before her 16th birthday in March . By the next day, she had been admitted to a cancer unit in Newcastle, where she underwent nine rounds of chemotherapy at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and six weeks of radiotherapy at the city's Freeman Hospital. The teenager  also took part in a drug trial. Six months on, her mother said: 'Never in a million years did we think she had anything like that. It's great to have her home.' It is hoped Dion, who has an older sister, Jacy, will finish treatment before her 16th birthday in March. She and her family are now raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust - and have so far raised £10,000 through various events. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/Robbie-Round .
Dion Yates, 15, had been in agony for months with pains in her legs .
Eventually diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, rare but deadly form of cancer .
When diagnosed, cancer had spread to spine, womb, bowel and pelvis .
In six months, she has endured seven rounds of life-saving surgery .
Also been given more than 60 pints of blood and been on drug trial .
A teenager told she had range of ailments from a slipped disc to damaged ligaments was horrified when doctors realised she actually had cancer. Dion Yates, 15, had been in agony for months before her devastating diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare but deadly form of bone cancer that affects young people. By the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had spread to her spine, womb, bladder, bowel and pelvis. Dion Yates (left before her diagnosis and right, after treatment) suffered pains in her legs for months - and was diagnosed with a slipped disc and ligament damage before the devastating news she had rare bone cancer . By the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had spread to her spine, womb, bladder, bowel and pelvis. Dion is pictured with her sister Jacy (left) and mother Kerry (right) But teenager, from Moray, Scotland, says she is determined not to be beaten by the disease - and has just shown a remarkable response to treatment and a new drug. She told the Daily Record: 'When they told me I had cancer it was a relief because at least they knew what it was and they could start to believe me, as I was in pain for so long.' In the six months since she was diagnosed, Dion has endured seven rounds of life-saving surgery and been given more than 60 pints of blood. However she has already defied doctors' expectations by being active just weeks after gruelling treatment. Doctors had warned it was so intensive that Dion would need a wheelchair for two years. She has also lost her hair due to the drugs. Ewing's sarcoma is a rare bone and tissue cancer. It can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, and rarely affects older people. The tumour can develop anywhere in the body, but is usually found in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis, or the chest. It often spreads to the lungs and other bones. There are few symptoms, but the most common is pain, and occasionally swelling, at the site of the tumour. Fever may also develop. Treatment involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. The five-year survival for localised disease is 70 per cent to 80 per cent when treated with chemotherapy. Despite being back on her feet, she is expected to need hip replacement surgery in three years, due to bone damage from the treatment. However it does mean the tumour has already shrunk by more than half - and just days after finishing six months of treatment in hospital, Dion has returned to school. She told the Record she now can't wait to go on holiday with her family and swim with dolphins - and also wants to take up kick boxing. Her mother Kerry, 36, said: 'She never lets anything get her down.'Even when she lost all her hair she said, "Oh well, it will save me having to do it in the mornings". She always looks on the positive side of everything. The teenager's ordeal began when she got pains in her leg last November. They became so excruciating she would beg her mother for a hot bath in the middle of the night to ease the pain. Over the next six months, her mother took her to the GP, where she was given diagnoses ranging from a slipped disc to damaged ligaments. It took until she could barely walk for the condition to be taken seriously. After going to A&E in Middlesbrough, while visiting her father, Dion was given an X-ray and then an MRI scan. To the family's horror, this revealed there was a tumour pressing against her sciatic nerve, which runs down the leg from the buttock. In the six months since she was diagnosed, Dion has had seven rounds of life-saving surgery and been given more than 60 pints of blood . It is hoped that Dion, with older sister, Jacy (left), will finish treatment before her 16th birthday in March . By the next day, she had been admitted to a cancer unit in Newcastle, where she underwent nine rounds of chemotherapy at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and six weeks of radiotherapy at the city's Freeman Hospital. The teenager  also took part in a drug trial. Six months on, her mother said: 'Never in a million years did we think she had anything like that. It's great to have her home.' It is hoped Dion, who has an older sister, Jacy, will finish treatment before her 16th birthday in March. She and her family are now raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust - and have so far raised £10,000 through various events. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/Robbie-Round .
Dion Yates, 15, had been in agony for months sarcoma, a rare but deadly form of bone cancer womb, bladder, bowel and pelvis. Dion Yates (left suffered pains in her legs for months - and was long.' In the six months since she was diagnosed, Dion has endured seven rounds of life-saving surgery and been given more than 60 pints of life-saving surgery and been given more than 60