A YOUNG man who almost lost his leg to cancer at aged 14 has said he felt abandoned after his friends thought of his condition as a 'death sentence'.

Rian Harvey, from Weymouth, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia - a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer in his mid teens.

When Rian was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition, he said many of his friends stopped talking to him because they thought he was going to die.

Rian's concerns come as part of International Day of Friendship - a campaign which launched yesterday by charity Teenage Cancer Trust.

Rian, now aged 22, said: "When I was diagnosed I really learnt who my true friends were.

"To most people, if they hear the words ‘cancer’ they immediately think it is a death sentence.

"After a summer of night sweats, bruising and loss of appetite, I was admitted to A&E with blood poisoning in my leg. It was there that the doctors devastatingly diagnosed me with leukaemia. The blood poisoning was so serious that they thought my leg may need to be amputated.

"Luckily my leg could be saved but they were still unsure whether I would be able to walk properly again. As a child and a teenager, I was never ill. This was the first time I had ever been to A&E and I didn’t even get to go home, I was in hospital for five weeks and six months of chemotherapy followed.

"I honestly think some of my friends didn’t talk to me because they thought I was going to die.

"One of the most important things for your friends to avoid talking about is asking what the outcome of your cancer is – mainly because you don’t even know and thinking about what could happen to you is huge emotional trigger."

After six months of intensive chemotherapy he went into remission, but relapsed a year later. At aged 15, Rian was lucky to receive a stem cell transplant after blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan, helped him find a donor that matched.

Rian added: "When I got out of hospital, some of my friends and people around me didn’t understand what I’d been through and thought that I was instantly better as I was out of hospital - this was a huge misconception. Cancer changes your life, not the year it happened."

New research from Teenage Cancer Trust revealed that during cancer treatment, 75 per cent of young people with cancer found their friendships changed, with 40 per cent finding that their friends stopped contacting them completely.

In a bid to educate young adults on how to be a good friend to somebody with cancer and end any awkwardness many feel about serious illnesses, Teenage Cancer Trust has worked with multiple young people to gather their top tips on how to be a good friend.

A spokeswoman from Teenage Cancer Trust, said: "It's understandable to feel scared when your friend has cancer, and not know what to say or do, or be afraid of saying the wrong thing or asking the wrong question.

"But not contacting your friend as much, or not getting in touch at all because you feel awkward or frightened, can feel to your friend like you’ve forgotten or even abandoned them at a time when they really need you.

"Speak to them about how you are feeling, ask how you can help them out."

For more on this, visit: www.teenagecancertrust.org