Kapiti's Sean Prendeville back on his bike after surgery

Sean Prenderville, 15, with a brand new mountain bike custom-made to accommodate the prosthesis on his right lower leg. Photo: Cloe Willetts. Photo: Cloe Willetts / KAP180615CWseanprenderville

Sean Prendeville celebrated his 15th birthday on Thursday with a gift that meant more to him than most.

Stationed in the corner of the lounge at his Raumati Beach home, the vibrant orange frame marked a milestone that, four years after being diagnosed with bone cancer as a 10-year-old, proves the Kapiti College student is on the rise.

"It was sort of surreal to be back out on a bike again," said Sean, who was presented with a custom-made mountain bike this month, thanks to the Lions Club of Kapiti, the June Oakley Memorial Trust, AvantiPlus Kapiti Coast and Cycletech in Paraparaumu.

The bike, sponsored by Cycletech, which also equipped it with an adjustable crankshaft with pendulum pedal, to cater to the prosthesis on Sean's right leg, was offered at a discounted rate of around $600 by AvantiPlus.

In what began as an application for a June Oakley Memorial Trust grant, Sean went on to meet application interviewee Bill Pearson, of Lions Kapiti, who later liaised with trust secretary Diane Ammundsen, and then Cycletech, to secure the custom-made light-weight bike.

Sean's gift follows a rare and complex rotationplasty surgery last year, which stemmed from an intensive battle with bone cancer that included chemotherapy, three major surgeries and a year in Auckland's Starship Hospital.

The surgery, which saw his lower right leg amputated and his foot rotated 180 degrees and reattached, enabled his ankle joint to function as his knee.

With a prosthetic lower leg fitted onto his now backward-facing foot, Sean was told his chances of getting back into the sports he loved were slim.

But he is getting there.

"Sean needed a custom-made bike because he cannot bend his leg all the way up and his legs are different lengths," his mother Jenny Prendeville said.

"After two months' hard research, we found information online about bikes for people with prosthetics, and went from there."

Not only an exciting new toy, the bike is also being used with a wind trainer during Sean's physiotherapy sessions, to improve his cardiovascular fitness.

Originally told by manufacturers he should start out on a trike to help with balance, Sean refused, adamant he would get back outdoors on two wheels.

"It's going to take quite a lot of Sean learning to manage his balance, and it will almost be like him learning to ride a bike again," Ms Prendeville said.

"We've still got a few mountains to climb, but Sean's very determined."