Hello
My name is Sarah Mayers. I’m 52 years old, and in 2024, I was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma in my lung—a rare and aggressive form of cancer. This journey has been incredibly challenging, but I’ve faced it with as much strength and grace as I can. Sharing my story isn’t easy, but I do so in the hope of raising awareness, and with the support of kind and generous people, easing some of the burdens that come with this diagnosis.
My Story
"They Told Me It Was Just a Bruised Rib — But It Was Sarcoma"
By Sarah Mayers
I never thought I’d be writing something like this. If you’d asked me a year ago, I’d have said I was fit, busy, and enjoying life—walking my dogs, spending time with my family. I didn’t think anything was seriously wrong when I first felt pins and needles down my left arm. There was also a strange numbness and pain around my chest. The doctors thought it was arthritis, and to be honest, I believed them. You trust your doctors, don’t you?
Then in May 2024, I tripped while walking the dogs and landed awkwardly. I was told I’d probably broken a rib. They said it would heal in four to six weeks. But something didn’t feel right. I started having real trouble breathing. That’s when things started moving quickly. I was sent for an urgent x-ray, and after a whirlwind of tests, I got the news: it wasn’t a bruised rib. It was cancer. Not just any cancer—sarcoma. And worse, it was incurable.
When they told me I had a year to live, I was in complete shock. I thought they’d made a mistake. My husband was in bits, but I felt numb. I was sure they were wrong. I remember the doctor looking at me, so serious, and saying, “You’ve got a year.” It didn’t register. It still feels surreal sometimes.
I’ve been having chemotherapy since October. It’s been relentless. It’s shrunk the tumour a bit, but now I’m on a new chemo because the other one stopped working. The truth is, once chemo stops being effective, that’s it. They’ve told me I’m basically a guinea pig—they’re trying different things to keep it at bay.
The scariest part? How easily it could’ve been missed. How easily it was missed. That’s why I want to speak out. I want people to know the signs of sarcoma. There are so many different symptoms—lumps, pain, numbness, breathing trouble. If something feels wrong in your body, push for answers. Don’t let them brush you off. If I’d been taken seriously sooner, maybe things would be different.
My family has been incredible. My husband, daughter, and son-in-law even took on the Three Peaks hike in Abergavenny to raise money for the Velindre NHS Trust Charitable Fund and raise awareness. We’ve wrapped a van with sarcoma information, and we’re selling awareness badges too. It’s our way of fighting back—of turning something so devastating into something that might help others.
I don’t know what the future holds. But I do know this: if sharing my story makes even one person get an earlier diagnosis, then it’s worth it.
Please—listen to your body. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And never let someone tell you it’s “just” a bruised rib.