A keen golfer is getting back into the swing of things after having an extraordinary operation carried out at NHS Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank.

Jan Ritson’s operation has been hailed as a “resounding success” as it saved her leg after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Jan, from Stewarton in East Ayrshire, finally had the procedure carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic after waiting almost two years.

During the rare and complicated operation in August 2020 Jan’s tibia (shin bone) was removed from her left leg and sent on a 20 minute journey from Clydebank to Glasgow’s Beatson West Scotland Cancer Centre in a sterile container.

At the Beatson, the bone received radiotherapy and was then re-packaged and brought back to the Golden Jubilee, where the skilled team was waiting to re-insert it back in place, all while Jan was asleep on the operating table.

Her tibia was then re-inserted back into her leg during a 12-hour procedure and now she is beginning to get back to normal after her recovery period.

The operation was carried out with the aim of saving Jan’s leg and avoiding amputation.

Jan has praised the surgical teams for their incredible work and said she feels “extremely lucky” to still have her leg.

She said: “I feel everything has gone according to plan. They did say that it was going to be two years before everything was healed and I'd be walking properly again.

“I still have some pain in my ankle, which may not be as a result of the operation, but could possibly be age related. I’ve recently had an MRI scan which should indicate if there are any concerns.

“However, I’m back playing golf every week, walking much better and I’m absolutely delighted with the outcome of this.

“I can't praise Mr Mahendra and the teams at the Golden Jubilee highly enough. Mr Mahendra even came in on a day off, just to make sure I was OK and I didn't have any issues, which I think is just amazing.

“Everything went extremely well. The teams were amazing and the care I received was second to none. I'm absolutely delighted with the whole process, and the staff were really superb in every respect.

“I feel that I'm a very, very lucky person and extremely lucky to still have my leg.”

The operation would normally have been performed at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, but in April 2020, the sarcoma service was transferred to Clydebank to ensure patients could continue to receive essential cancer care through the pandemic.

It was performed by surgical teams, led by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Ashish Mahendra of Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and teams from NHS Golden Jubilee and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.