Steffan Rhys went to the doctors with a painless lump on his leg, which he thought was harmless.
As it turned out, the WalesOnline editor actually had cancer and a significant chunk of his leg would need to be removed in order to save his life.
Steffan was 39 when he was initially told the lump was probably nothing to worry about.
Doctors referred him for an ultrasound - which he was happy to wait several weeks for.
He even laughed along with friends when they joked, "I've never heard of anyone getting leg cancer”.
Things got more serious at the ultrasound appointment, when the radiologist began to rule out more innocent causes, taking a biopsy sample and booking Steffan in for an MRI scan.
After researching his symptoms online, one word kept popping up: sarcoma.
After the scans, Steffan got the news he had been dreading as doctors confirmed the lump was sarcoma.
The lump on his leg was about the size of a golf ball, smaller than most other sarcomas which are usually found when they are the size of a tin of beans.
After the diagnosis, doctors had to check if the cancer has spread to his lungs - an experience Rhys said was "hard to describe".
He said: "I was scared I was about to find out I was now fighting for my life, bewildered at how a painless lump in my leg had come to this.
"I was desperately sad at the thought of my little girl not having her dad around much longer. I could barely process the fact it was possible my pregnant partner would soon be having a second child that I may not know for long."
Luckily, the test results came back quickly and confirmed the cancer had not spread. The next obstacle would be to remove the tumour and every cancerous cell.
Instead of relaxing at a spa on his 40th birthday, Steffan had to have life-saving surgery at Morriston Hospital, in Swansea, to remove the cancerous lump.
A week later, nurses removed the bandages from Steffan's leg and he was shocked at what he saw, as a large portion of his thigh was cut away.
Steffan said: "Where the lower half of my right thigh had been there was now a six-inch-long, crescent-shaped hole, as if a small shark had taken a bite out of it."
He has since made a full recovery thanks to physiotherapy.
Steffan implores anyone with a concerning lump to see a doctor. While it will likely be nothing to worry about, seeing a GP could save your life.
"I still shudder to think that on another day and in a different mood, I may never have booked that GP appointment," Steffan said. "I would still just be rubbing my strange, painless lump in bemusement."
Sarcoma is also called "the loneliest cancer", due to its rarity and low profile. Even people with sarcoma will be facing different operations, treatments and recovery plans.
In fact, the Facebook group Sarcoma patients in the UK only has around 1,600 members.
While their numbers might have been small, Steffan is grateful for the support the group offered to him after his diagnosis.
Steffan is also grateful for the work of the NHS and cancer charities who saved his life - describing staff on the front line of these organisations as "superheroes".
For more information about sarcoma, to donate or to access their support line, visit the Sarcoma UK website.
