A professional MMA fighter has defied the odds against him to beat stage three cancer and is now set to return to the ring.
Aaron Aby was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2017 - three months after he first visited A&E suffering pain in his groin.
During those months he was sent away twice with antibiotics but continued to fight.
But the 29-year-old from Wrexham, north Wales, was forced to put his fighting career on hold to battle cancer.
Aaron, who also has cystic fibrosis, was left with an agonising choice to continue treatment and miss out on becoming a dad, who delay it while continuing to try for a baby and potentially let the cancer spread.
He chose to delay chemotherapy, and the cancer spread to a lymph mass in his stomach - leaving him with no option but to undergo treatment.
However five weeks post chemotherapy, he was told it had not worked and underwent a further two rounds of stronger treatment to shrink the tumours before doctors could operate.
Although the odds were highly against him, both operations were a success and Aaron was given the all clear in February earlier this year.
He told North Wales Live : "My surgeon said I wouldn't be back training until at least February next year, so when I told him I was back, he couldn't believe it.
"He said he'd come and watch my first fight.
"If anything, it has given me more motivation," he added.
"I've always been the underdog having cystic fibrosis, but this has just been an extra motivational tool to get back and compete again at the highest level.
"I'm just taking every day as it comes at the moment because you never really know how many fights you've got left.
"The plan was to make the comeback in November, exactly two years after my initial diagnosis.
"But an opportunity came up and because training has been going so well, I couldn't say no so I decided to go for it
"Now I'm back to my full time schedule training twice a day, four times a week and once a day twice a week. Physically, I feel good."
However despite overcoming the disease, Aaron still faces the challenges that come with having cystic fibrosis.
Since undergoing cancer treatment, he told how his lung function has dropped around 15 per cent.
"I won't know what to expect properly until the night," he added.
"If I do get tired quicker than I normally would because my lung function is down, I will just had to adapt my tactics and be a bit more clever with my techniques.
"There are a lot of unknowns at the moment but there's always risks in this sport whatever the circumstances, so that won't stop me from completing the journey."
He added: "I would advise anyone going through a similar situation to just be positive.
"At the time it does feel like you're going through hell but if you have just one belief, it has got to be in yourself.
"I would say, don't let anyone decide your destiny except for yourself."
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