A 30-year old man thought he had a painless cyst before he was diagnosed with incurable cancer.
Adam Raszka was one year away of getting married when he lost his heart.
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In August 2020, he was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of sarcoma.
The young man survived for 19 months but believes that he only has a few months to live.
He described how he went for a physical exam to determine if he had any health issues. “tender and painful”He had cysts in his groin that didn’t respond to antibiotics.
Adam Birmingham Live:
After examining me, they found the cancer. My lymph nodes in my groin were swelling.
It was just a cyst. It was a cyst. But, if it wasn’t that, I wouldn’t have known I had it. And it would have gotten worse. The next day, they did a scan and confirmed that it was lymphoma.
“But scans showed that it was very widespread and had spread to my abdomen. The 12 cm-long largest tumor was found at that time.
“I had to wait a bit more for a proper diagnosis and treatment because it’s a very, very rare type of cancer.”
This type of cancer has been detected in around 200 patients. Adam was the first to tell that the disease could not be curable.
Although data is sparse, the average life expectancy of people with the condition is about 18 months.
He wants to spend more time with his family and fulfill more of his dreams at 32 years old.
Adam can’t work and Dorota, his wife, needs help to make the most of the time they have together.
His wife started aGoFundMe pagewith a target of £3,000.
Last June, two kilograms of cancerous tumours were removed and a third of his large intestinal tract was also removed.
The doctors hoped Adam would lead a normal lifestyle after the operation. But, the cancer returned just a few months later.
KNOW YOUR SIGNS
Soft tissue cancers are rare cancers that affect the tissues that surround and support other body structures.
This could include fat, muscle, blood vessels and deep skin tissue, tendons, and ligaments.
Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in almost any part of the body, including the legs, arms and tummy.
Soft tissue tumors don’t often show symptoms until the very early stages. However, they can become more severe and cause symptoms.
The signs and symptoms of cancer depend on where it is located. These include swelling under and around the skin, pain in the abdomen, swelling and fullness near the lungs, which can lead to a cough and breathlessness.
You should see a GP if you have a lump – particularly one that’s getting bigger over time.
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