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Cancer is one of the deadliest of diseases if it is left untreated and not timely diagnosed. Initial diagnosis of cancer is important. Otherwise, it spreads rapidly and advances to the next stage where chances of survival become less. The initial stage of cancer is sometimes however hard to diagnose.
About five years ago after he noticed some changes in his knee area, he went to a hospital where he was diagnosed with Pigmented villonodular synovitis(PVNS). PVNS is a joint disease which causes overgrowth and inflammation of the inner joint lining, and as a result, that area appears swollen. The doctors performed an arthroscopy and removed the infected part and told him that it was all good. However, they sent samples for biopsy, and there was still a chance for it to return.
The lump on his knee is visible in this picture. And this time that was not all, he only had a 45° range of movement which is clearly NOT okay.
However, after the removal, the guy noticed the outer lump was wholly missed and was still there. The doctors then told him that there was much more to that lump than what they had thought of in the beginning.
But, this wasn’t a concern anymore as the pathology report told an entirely different story. According to the report, it was an extremely rare form of cell sarcoma and NOT a PVNS. This type of cell sarcoma was resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the only option left was amputation above the knee. This was obviously a very stressful thing for the guy. He even tried getting more opinions, but they all said the same thing.
A doctor from Sydney said that even though there was no alternative to amputation, he could try out a procedure called Limb Salvage. Which meant cutting his whole knee out and giving it a replacement with an artificial one.
“So that’s what we did.. not only that, they pulled my calf muscle round to the front of my knee for padding,” he said.
He had to travel to another state for the procedure, so neither his friends nor his family members visited him. Especially not his mother since she was battling cancer herself and couldn’t miss her therapy. So he spent ten days lying in bed alone.
“The nurses were good,” he said.
Anyway, so here is the new and improved knee.
The guy hated the scar that was left after the surgery. And tbh, who wouldn’t hate that? But, at least it was better than amputation, so he accepted it and moved on.
The doctors told him that there’s a 30 to 40% chance of the cancer returning, and in that case, the only option would be amputation. But for now he is alright and normal, and he is happy with the decision he made.
We all wish him the best and pray that cancer does not return, and he continues to live a happy and stress-free life. And this is a picture of his cat Murphy who was there with him through it all.
So what did you learn from this story? Should we give up when we face something terrible? Or should we take risks and chances and try to stand up even if the odds are against us? Comment below and share your views with us!
