A DAD whose GP sent him home with antibiotics for a suspected infection was later told he had cancer. Darrell McDonald was misdiagnosed for more than two months before eventually finding out he had synovial sarcoma . 6 Darrell McDonald with his partner and two children Credit: Sarcoma UK 6 The 44-year-old was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma Credit: Sarcoma UK The 44-year-old first noticed a lump in his neck in 2020 during the height of Covid.
His local surgery was reluctant to see him due to the pandemic, but eventually suggested it was likely down to an infection and prescribed him antibiotics. The lump refused to go away, so Darrell underwent an ultrasound and biopsy, but doctors still couldn't pinpoint what was causing it. Then, on his 40th birthday, when he was also meant to be celebrating being offered a new job, the dad-of-two received "horrendous" news.
He had synovial sarcoma - a type of cancer that usually develops in cells around joints and tendons. Synovial sarcomas are so rare they account for less than half of one percent of all cancer diagnoses. Recalling when he got the call about his new role, Darrell, from Twickenham, south west London, said: "They remarked, 'You don't seem to be excited at the news'.
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