AN INSPIRATIONAL Carnegie swimmer who lost most of her leg to cancer asked docs to write 'Please recycle' on it before the op.

Katie Pake, 11, who competes for the Dunfermline club, wanted the tissue from her amputated limb to be donated to medical research to help others fighting the disease.

And she hasn't let the disability hold her back, with the Paralympics hopeful winning medals in the pool and enjoying a dream swimming lesson with Olympic hero Hannah Miley.

Katie said: "I feel free when I'm swimming and I love it.

“Cancer made me grow up quickly and there were times when I had to think quite deeply about things.

"When I’m in the pool concentrating on my swimming stroke, I can let all of that go. It’s a chance to forget about cancer for a while.

“I couldn’t stop smiling when I met Hannah. I was amazed when I heard that the swimming event Hannah is best known for is the 400 metres medley.

"She must have incredible strength and I’ve really enjoyed hearing from Hannah on how I can be a better swimmer too.

“My dream is to one day wear a GB swimming costume but my mum and dad have told me I’ll have to earn that so I know I have to keep working hard.

"I want to show that cancer hasn’t stopped me and raise money for research to help others who are going through it.”

Katie trains four times a week with Carnegie and her meeting with Hannah was set up by Cancer Research UK.

Every day, 88 people in Scotland are diagnosed with cancer and the duo launched the charity's Race for Life in Scotland, which encourages people to raise money to battle the disease by taking part in 5K and 10K events.

Katie is taking part in the 5K event on June 16 in Kirkcaldy after learning to walk again.

Hannah said their meeting was "hugely inspiring" and added: "I am so impressed and so in awe of her determination.

"What she’s been through has just been incredible and she’s taken it all within her stride.

"She’s given me such a huge confidence-booster.

"She just loves being in the water and to meet a fellow athlete who is in love with what they do is pretty special.

"Katie is a pretty special kid and I look forward to seeing where her career takes her and where she goes with swimming."

Katie's parents, Carol and Grant, first took her to the GP when she complained of a painful knee that was preventing her from swimming.

But nothing could prepare them for the test results in June 2017 which showed their daughter had osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer in UK children.

Carol, 50, said: "We were petrified. Katie, on the other hand, was pragmatic, asking for her treatment plan.

"Katie didn’t want to be told anything but the truth. She was an inspiration and, despite the cancer, refused to give up.”

She started chemotherapy with medics hopeful initially they could remove the cancer and save her leg.

But tests showed it had spread and although a new intense chemotherapy treatment managed to eradicate it from her spine and hips, Katie endured an eight-hour operation on February 9 last year, two days before her 10th birthday.

Doctors removed the middle section of her right leg and reattached her foot and ankle, back to front, to her thigh to create a new knee joint.

The op, known as rotationplasty, made it easier for her to wear a prosthetic limb.

Her mum said those eight hours were "the worst of our lives" and added: "After the operation, Katie woke up in extreme pain but was determined to start the rehabilitation process the very next day.

"Despite feeling awful a lot of the time, she made the doctors, nurses and other professionals laugh. She kept saying there were other children worse off than her.”

She completed treatment in March last year and the family was delighted to be told there was no sign of the cancer.

Katie was then fitted with her first prosthetic limb in August and now uses crutches to move around.

Carol said: "Katie wants to be a champion for all children affected by cancer.

“We are truly proud to call Katie our daughter.

"She wants to swim, play football, skydive, represent Scotland in the Paralympics and maybe one day even become a surgeon.

"And most of all she wants to make a difference. I’ll be proud to be by Katie’s side at Race for Life this summer.”

To find out more go to raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.