Jordan Castaldo

Jordan Castaldo is taking on the mighty Colchester Half Marathon to raise money for us next month. We are really grateful to Jordan for thinking of RNOH Charity in his quest. Here’s his story.

When he was 21, Jordan noticed a persistent pain in his shin when exercising and was told it could be caused by shin splints. His GP referred Jordan to a local hospital, who in turn referred him to RNOH as orthopaedic specialists.

“As all young adults do, I felt invincible – like no illness would impair me,” Jordan says. “It wasn't until I was told there was a 50-50 chance it was cancerous that the severity hit me.”

Although he had a full-time job, Jordan says his employers were great and allowed him to take as much time as necessary, which was important as he needed to visit RNOH on a number of occasions and is still a patient today. Jordan was given MRI scans and X-rays, and a biopsy under general anaesthetic. Following their investigations, doctors diagnosed osteofibrous dysplasia (OFD), a rare type of benign tumour that can develop in the shin bone.

Although the tumour was thankfully non-cancerous and Jordan received the all-clear from his RNOH team, he comes back to the hospital twice a year to make sure there is no change. “I am feeling well and healthy,” Jordan tells us, adding that he still plays football and in the last 12 months, has started running.

“I have to manage the amount of load, as the OFD flares up if too much stress is applied,” he explains but despite this, Jordan has been training for his first running event, choosing to support RNOH Charity along the way. “The hospital teams were great. My family and I were looked after on every visit. It felt fitting to run for RNOH.”

Jordan is running the Colchester Half Marathon on Sunday 16 March 2025. He says he is nervous but looking forward to the challenge. If you’re nearby, be sure to pop over and cheer on all the participants – it’s bound to be a magnificent event. If you’d like to support Jordan’s fundraiser, you can do so online here.

Thank you, Jordan. We’re wishing you all the best for your run and for the future.