Dancer Katie-Marie Martin has returned to performing after surviving an extremely rare form of spinal sarcoma cancer. Katie-Marie, who is the daughter of Torpoint's mayor Julie Martin, was diagnosed with a sacral chordoma which affects just one in a million people worldwide.

Katie-Marie, 27, from Torpoint in Cornwall, first noticed something was wrong when she had back pain. Her physio thought she might have a slipped disc.

Katie couldn’t sleep, and her mother, Julie, paid for her to have an MRI scan, which revealed an 11cm tumour in her spine. Katie was referred for a consultation and biopsy and was diagnosed with chordoma.

As a professional dancer at the time, this was shattering news for Katie, especially as she had a new job lined up. Her illness took a big toll on her mobility and

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