Schoolboy, 16, has his jaw re-built using his LEG BONES in a 19 hour operation after an orange-sized tumour ravaged his face

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A teenage boy battling an orange-sized tumour in his face has had his jaw rebuilt using his leg bones.

Adam McCalmont, 16, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer after complaining of a dull ache in his jaw.

Doctors warned there was a chance operating on the tumour could permanently paralyse the schoolboy, or even kill him.

Thankfully, chemotherapy proved to be successful and worked in shrinking the tumour. 

This allowed him to finally undergo a 19-and-a-half hour operation to replace the ravaged muscles and arteries in his face with ones from his leg.

He is still struggling to move the left side of his face, but doctors have high hopes for his recovery. 

Adam McCalmont, 16, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer after complaining of a dull ache in his jaw. He underwent a 19-and-a-half hour operation to replace the ravaged muscles and arteries in his face with ones from his leg

His mother, Elaine Patrick, 44, of Coleraine, Northern Ireland, said: 'Compared to what I'd prepared myself for, he looks really well.

'We've had a couple of setbacks, though. He was doing grand, then I noticed his face and neck swelling again.

'He'd developed an infection which had built up, then burst, so right now he has an open 50p-sized wound behind his ear.

'I don't even think you could start to describe what this has been like, but I've got my strength from Adam.

'There's no point in sitting there feeling sorry for ourselves. I'm sure every family with a child with cancer thinks, "why us" but we just have to get up and get on with it.' 

In December 2015, Adam began to suffer from discomfort in his jaw.

Doctors warned there was a chance operating on the tumour could permanently paralyse the schoolboy, or even kill him

Before long, the pain was interfering with his sleep and had forced his mother to give up her retail job to care for him.

Upon visiting his GP, he was prescribed antibiotics.

But in January this year, the entire left side of his face swelled up virtually overnight.

He was rushed back to the doctors, who organised a X-ray for him. 

In April 2016, he visited his dentist, who took photographs of the alarming growth and emailed them to a specialist maxillofacial unit at Altnagelvin Area Hospital.

He was told to visit the doctor again immediately before he was told he had cancer just two hours later.

After undergoing a biopsy in May, he was diagnosed with mesenchymal chondrosarcoma - a rare form that tends to affect children and young adults. 

However, because of it's position, surgeons warned there was a chance it could permanently paralyse or kill him.

He then immediately underwent six rounds of chemotherapy between June and September.

Doctors were scared of initially scared of operating on him as the growth was so close to a major artery. 

But thankfully, after the second round of chemotherapy, the tumour began to shrink. 

He is still struggling to move the left side of his face, but doctors and his family have high hopes for his recovery

Adam's family and friends are keen to raise awareness of sarcoma – particularly his form - mesenchymal chondrosarcoma 

Surgeons then deemed it safe to operate on him and removed more than half of his jaw - including his glands - before replacing the arteries in his face.

After losing weight when his tumour left him in too much pain to eat, he has steadily been regaining wait and is now back home with his family.

Currently, Adam is on an all liquid diet while his jaw recovers.

He is still struggling to move the left side of his face, but his family have high hopes for his recovery. 

The family are now waiting on a pathology report to see how successful the operation was. 

Adam's family and friends are keen to raise awareness of sarcoma – particularly mesenchymal chondrosarcoma.

They have asked that if anyone wishes to donate to charity in his name, they do so to the Boom Foundation.