2023-10-18 06:00:00
The date is marked on his calendar. On November 28, Anthony Bec, 31, will have his right forearm amputated. After four years of fighting once morest his synovial sarcoma (read elsewhere), this surgical procedure is the best solution to prevent the spread of this cancer throughout his body.
At the dawn of a new life, the Montois is taking advantage of these last few weeks to “let go”, “evacuate his stress” and return to this illness which he has always faced with the most dignity possible.
The date is marked on his calendar. On November 28, Anthony Bec, 31, will have his right forearm amputated. After four years of fighting once morest his synovial sarcoma (read elsewhere), this surgical procedure is the best solution to prevent the spread of this cancer throughout his body.
At the dawn of a new life, the Montois is taking advantage of these last few weeks to “let go”, “evacuate his stress” and return to this illness which he has always faced with the most dignity possible.
Fruity patterned caps and pink sweatshirt, Anthony looks like any other thirty-something. Except for this bandage and this large scar on his forearm, betraying several years of treatments and operations.
It all started in 2019, when he felt a “lump” for the first time. This sports enthusiast feels the first discomfort when he plays volleyball. “I was having problems with my wrist movement. It was something bulky, like cramped,” he explains.
“Never seen that”
It didn’t take long for him to go to his doctor in Périgueux. The latter prescribed anti-inflammatories but the pain did not go away. He is having surgery for the first time. When he comes out, the surgeon shows him what she removed. She tells him that she “had never seen that”.
“It looked like mucus,” said the man who was a quantity surveyor at the time. Analyzes of this substance do not give rise to any diagnosis. In the months that followed, Anthony continued the treatments: infiltrations, orthotics, physiotherapy. Without success.
“He didn’t want to be seen as sick, or to be asked too many questions,” explains Sylvie Bec, his mother.
Matthew Sartre
I suspected that someone was going to tell me something serious. I had launched my dictaphone
It is then oriented towards SOS Main in Bordeaux, reference center for trauma care in the region, for a second operation. Again, the same substance is extracted from his wrist. Further analyzes led to a diagnosis on December 12, 2019. “I remember receiving a call from the secretary inviting me to come to Bordeaux. I arrived in the waiting room alongside my grandfather, then I entered the surgeon’s office alone. I suspected that someone was going to tell me something serious. I had started my dictaphone. »
The surgeon, with tears in his eyes, explains to him that it is synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. “At no time did I think that was it,” confides the young man.
Faced with this announcement, he refuses to feel sorry for himself. “It was also a form of relief for me. I told myself that I had to stay strong and do what was necessary to cure this cancer, that in six months it would be over. »
Sylvie, his mother, remembers hearing the news the next day. “It was Friday the 13th,” she explains. She is instructed not to tell anyone regarding it. “He didn’t want to be seen as sick or to be asked too many questions. »
Radical decision
A long fight begins for Anthony. To win it, he makes a radical decision. “I left my town, my job and my girlfriend. » For four years, he traveled back and forth between Pau – where he began a career change to become an accountant – and the Bergonié Institute in Bordeaux.
The first year, he underwent immunotherapy which allowed him to reduce his cancerous nodule from 15 to 2 cm. “My body responded well,” he recalls. He then continued with an experimental treatment from the United States, then a third treatment. And discover the first side effects. “It’s called hand-foot syndrome. I had gone to Saint-Martin (an island in the Caribbean Sea, Editor’s note) and the skin under my feet was torn off. »
Despite this, the size of his sarcoma is no longer changing. The young man does not give up despite growing fatigue. “He refused to go to Bergonié by ambulance taxi. He didn’t want to explain what he had on each trip,” notes Sylvie Bec.
During the summer of 2023, Anthony wonders regarding the evolution of his illness: “Why isn’t it cured? “. He understands that his sarcoma might be even more dangerous if metastases lodge in his lungs. Amputation then appears as an option.
“I spoke to the doctors regarding it who confirmed that it was a very good solution. At the time, I was a little nervous. I wish they had told me before. The thought process was cut short when I learned there was a 70% chance it wouldn’t come back. »
110 000 euros
Since then, everything has been coming together for the young man. After a meeting with his surgeon, he learned that he would be able to keep the use of his elbow. “He had drawn a line on Anthony’s forearm so that I might see how far he was willing to have it amputated,” his mother managed to smile.
The thirty-year-old wants to maintain a certain autonomy. This will involve purchasing a suitable prosthesis. “When I saw it, I said to myself that I had to have it. » This prosthesis, which allows 16 movements to be performed, is not reimbursed. Its price: 110,000 euros.
His father and sister decided to create the association Un Coup de main pour Antho, to support the financing (1) of this bionic prosthesis. Ultimately, through this structure, Anthony would also like to improve the daily lives of people affected by this disease. “Not everyone wants to lament while watching TV. Even if it means wasting a day, you might as well do it by talking with other people and doing activities. »
The fight continues for Anthony, who takes advantage of the last moments with his right forearm. “I just came back from a six-day motorcycle road trip in Spain, and I’m still playing a little guitar. » Aware of the long road ahead of him, he has already set the goal of getting back on a motorcycle following his rehabilitation at the Tour de Gassies, in Bruges. ” Its important to me. I might tell myself that it was the right solution. »
(1) https://www.lepotcommun.fr
Sarcome synovial
Synovial sarcoma or synovialosarcoma is a rare and aggressive soft tissue tumor, accounting for 7 to 8% of malignant sarcomas in humans, according to Orpha.net. The tumor manifests itself as a slowly growing mass, located deep and painless. The lower and upper limbs are the most affected, particularly the para-articular regions of the large joints, indicates the site. This disease mainly appears in adolescents and young adults (15-40 years old). Complete surgical removal of the primary tumor represents the basis of treatment.
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