A huband diagnosed with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer after only one year of marriage has issued a vital message to others.
Adam Raszka has told everyone to 'live life to the full' after receiving his terminal diagnosis. The 33-year-old was gianosed with an especially aggressive form of sarcoma and is currently undergoing a third round of chemotherapy to extend his life for as long as possible.
Sarcoma refers to a group of rare cancers which affects the tissues connecting the organs and can occur all across the body. Despite this, Adam is working hard to tick everything off his bucket list while struggling with the side effects of his treatment, Birmingham Live reports.
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Speaking from a charity motorbike ride in Ireland as he raises money with the Riders of Charity on the 'Wild Atlantic Way', he said: "Don't wait for next year, or the next few months because it might be too late or it might never happen. Just do what you want, basically."
He added: "I've done quite a bit since we last spoke. I've been to Wales two or three times. I went to Amsterdam, that was really fun.
"I've been to Scotland and now in Ireland doing the charity run, it's more than I could have hoped for. It's still a bit of a struggle to enjoy everything with the side effects.
"For a week I've had side effects so I have not been able to enjoy it as much. It's being knocked around, being tired, I do need to be quite close to the toilet as well, let's say."
Doctors discovered Adam's cancer in August 2020 when he attended hospital due to a "tender and painful" cyst on his groin. While the cyst was not the result of cancer, doctors managed to spot the disease when scans were carried out.
Adam and wife Dorota knew the cancer was terminal from the diagnosis and while he continues to undergo surgery and intensive chemotherapy, his time is limited. In March this year, Adam said he has become "really down" as he was given the choice to either try another round of chemotherapy or enjoy his last months.
"I didn't know if to take it, I was really really down, I've never been so down in my life," he said. "But I had a scan and this chemo actually has been very good.
"Some of the tumours shrank, some stayed the same. I will be getting another scan within a few weeks and I'm quite afraid of that one. Last time when the chemo didn't work out, I had panic attacks and everything.
"Now I know this chemo has started working, I've got that hope again and I'm afraid to lose that again." However, he fears that the chemotherapy could stop working "at any time" and there's no approximation for how much time he has left to live.
"It's hard to do any estimate because it's a very rare condition, there's not much data. Now that chemo worked and I've got more time and I'm really glad for it, but at any time that chemo can stop working.
"I'm really grateful for all the help I get from the doctors and nurses because I'm already past 18 months from diagnosis whereas usually people live for 18 months, from the data that there is.
"It was a nice feeling, I'm still here, I can still enjoy. I've been lucky, in being unlucky."
Now, he and his wife have launched a GoFundMe page to help him enjoy his last few months. The campaign has already raised £8,000 which Adam has used to travel to Amsterdam, Wales and Scotland.
He added: "That GoFundMe campaign looking a few months back, was really needed for me. All the positivity I had, really did help a lot. I wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who donated to the campaign.
"I've just been enjoying small things, enjoying the time we've got together. Small things like going to restaurants, going for coffee, or big things like going to Scotland."
He added: "Also, I wanted to say a big thanks to my wife, she's very brave and very strong and a big thanks to the NHS, all the doctors, all the nurses - who are just amazing."
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