According to a story from the Peterborough Telegraph, James Willis received a disaster diagnosis on his first Valentine’s Day after getting married at age 29. James had been worried about some pain in his shoulder, but he assumed that it was only the result of exercise. As it turned out, he had soft tissue sarcoma in his muscle. Worse yet, it was already stage four and had begun to metastasize into his lungs. Doctors told him that the cancer was incurable.
Soft tissue sarcoma rarely causes any symptoms in its early stages, which means it has often reached an advanced stage when it is detected. In some patients, a lump or swollen area that is normally painless may become apparent. A large tumor often causes pain because of the pressure it places on nearby nerves and muscles. Like most cancers, the likelihood of long-term survival is often dependent on how early the cancer is detected and whether it has spread. For the most part, soft tissue sarcomas are not closely associate with specific risk factors and the cause is unknown in many cases. However, exposure to certain chemicals, such as chlorophenols and phenoxy herbicides, could potentially increase the risk. Radiation exposure and some genetic mutations could also increase the risk. To learn more about soft tissue sarcoma, click here.
James does not really know what his chances are for long-term survival, but he remains positive. He says that his likelihood of survival greatly depends on his own health choices, and plans on changing his diet. Although he will soon start chemo, James is determined to live in the moment and enjoy his life as much as possible, and he still has hope that his cancer, while perhaps not fully curable, could at least go into remission with proper treatment.
