Rory's story: "Surround yourself with people who are genuine".

Rory’s wife was the first to notice an unusual lump on the side of his left knee. They looked it over together, and Rory assumed it might be a bruise from work the day before. At first, there wasn’t much concern. But after a few days passed and the lump hadn’t gone down, they decided it was worth getting checked out.

Rory was already scheduled for his annual checkup, so he moved the appointment up to have the lump examined as well. He didn’t see his regular doctor that day, and the physician he did see suspected it might be a blood clot. Rory was sent to the emergency department for an ultrasound. After waiting eight hours, the emergency room staff told him it wasn’t a blood clot and couldn’t understand why he had been sent there in the first place. He was dismissed without answers.

Still uneasy, Rory made an appointment with his primary care physician. After reviewing the ultrasound results, his doctor asked him to come in immediately. It was determined that Rory needed an MRI, but even then, it took several months before he could get on the MRI schedule.

Once the MRI was completed and reviewed, everything moved quickly. Rory was scheduled for a biopsy, which confirmed a diagnosis of myxoid liposarcoma. Surgery followed within three weeks. Rory was relieved to learn that his treatment plan did not include chemotherapy or radiation, only surgery.

Fortunately, his sarcoma was caught early and identified as low grade. Following surgery, Rory experienced some numbness and swelling, but overall his recovery was quick.

Many people asked Rory why he seemed so calm and easygoing about his diagnosis. His response was simple: “I didn’t find a reason to get too upset, it wouldn’t change things.” Rory’s advice to others is to focus on the positives where you can and surround yourself with people who are genuinely supportive.