A project manager who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer wants to fund further research.

Andy Bird, of Rainham, noticed a lump on his leg last year and originally thought it was an insect bite but after being referred to hospital was told he had epithelioid sarcoma – a rare, soft tissue cancer.

The 54-year-old said: "I was working in the garden this time last year and noticed a lump on my leg. I thought it was just a bite and took some antihistamines but it did not go away for a couple of weeks so I thought I should see a doctor.

"They looked at it and gave me the bombshell. They dropped it on me and said it was cancer. He said 'it is not a soft tissue tear or a muscle tear and it is definitely not an insect bite. I think you have cancer.'

"That was when the world fell apart for me. It was a massive shock. But all those who were involved in the diagnosis were very supportive and thorough."

Andy was referred to Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital for further tests which confirmed he had epithelioid sarcoma and he was booked in for surgery to remove the mass.

"It overtook the muscle in my right calf, it literally just grew and grew and grew," he said. "By the time I went into hospital in the November to get it removed it was the size of a blood orange on the side of my leg.

"In a matter of four to six weeks it had grown really quickly. They said they were going to try and save some of the muscles and nerves in my leg but there was the danger I would become disabled and lose some of the use of my foot.

"Unfortunately they had to take the best part of the muscle and a nerve which has now left me with a dropped foot and limited movement. It just grew so quickly and took over the muscle so much so the margin they took to remove the primary tumour took half my leg really."

The project manager at water company Clancy was left with a nine inch scar and underwent radiotherapy for three months to make sure the cancer was gone.

During that time, medics discovered he had a secondary swelling on his lymph glands in between the lungs which was monitored.

On April 5, Andy had a PET scan and within 24 hours called to the hospital to get his results which he was not expecting for a month.

The dad-of-two said: "Less than 24 hours later they called me into the hospital and gave me the devastating news it had spread around my body and it was terminal."

Andy has just finished his chemotherapy treatment which he has been on for the past five months that has preventing the tumours from growing.

"There is no point me sitting around and sulking in the corner thinking why me," the vintage scooter fan added. "I have a limited life left so I am just getting on with life, doing what I want to do and as much as I can.

"I am tired, I have lost a lot of weight and lost my hair but I am trying to do what I can with the time I have left. All the time I can stand up and get out I am going to do things.

"It is going to kill me whatever but the chemotherapy is holding the tumours where they are. They do not know what will happen. There is so little known about the cancer.

"At the end of the day I cannot change what is going to happen to me so all I have got to do is continue with my life with my wife and two kids and make sure they are OK."

Andy has been married to his wife Louise for nearly 28 years, and the couple have two children, Jorge, 25, and Chloe, 20.

He is now raising money for Sarcoma UK – a charity that funds research, offers support and campaigns for better treatments – to give something back and help other sarcoma patients. If you would like to donate click here.

Sarcomas are uncommon cancers with around 100 different sub-types that can affect any part of the body, on the inside or outside, including the muscle, bone, tendons, blood vessels and fatty tissues.

He added: "Until I was diagnosed with it I did not know of it. There are only 50 or 60 cases a year of the type I have. If you have never heard of it, it is not something you would know about."

The Bird family is holding a fundraiser on Sunday at The Cricketers, Rainham. It will include a BBQ, raffle, entertainment from The Lost Weekend and will have vintage scooters on show.

Sarcoma UK support line experts are here for every person affected by sarcoma. Contact them for information and support. Phone: 0808 801 0401. Email: supportline@sarcoma.org.uk