Castleford teen to bike, hike and kayak to mark first anniversary of life-saving operation

Ryan Nodder was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism - an over stimulation of the glands that can lead to dangerous levels of calcium in the bloodstream.

But such is the rarity of the condition, particularly among children, that it took more than a year for a diagnosis, in which time the 14-year-old underwent multiple scans, ultrasounds and more than 35 blood tests.

Even more rare is that the condition was not genetic, much to the relief of Ryan’s parents.

His mum Claire said: “At first we just thought it was different stomach, but then we had to take him to hospital because of the pain.

“There’s not much information about hypoparathyroidism, we don’t know what caused it but it can cause damage to the your kidneys, heart and brain, so it was very worrying.

“We were especially worried about it being genetic, which took months to find out.

“It was a relief when we were told it wasn’t because it could have affected his life expectancy.”

In August of last year Ryan, a pupil at Castleford Academy, went under the knife at Leeds General Infirmary to remove a benign tumour from his gland.

“As far as we’re concerned, he is now cured and has a much chance as anyone getting it again,” added Claire.

“To mark his operation anniversary, Ryan will be climbing Mount Snowden in Wales, doing a 10k bike ride then kayak 2km with his dad Paul.

The money raised will be split between the LGI and Hypopara UK. To donate, log onto www.justgiving.com and search for ‘Claire Nodder’.