When Simon Gammon started complaining of "tennis elbow" he decided to visit his GP to get it checked out.
But after being advised to have a series of blood tests, he soon realised a sore arm was the least of his worries.
Within months the father-of-three was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which, despite emergency surgery, was later found to be terminal.
The 58-year-old has now been told he has an average of seven years left to live.
"I don't sit around worrying about dying," he said.
"I cannot change the diagnosis, so I'm determined to turn the whole thing into a positive."
Simon was found to have vitamin D and B12 deficiencies and was prescribed B12 tablets when he first went to his GP in May 2017.
However, the dad-of-three still felt something wasn’t quite right as he had a weak urine flow, so he went back to the doctor for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.
The test, typically given to people aged 50 and above, is a blood test to help detect prostate cancer .
"My PSA test result came back as 7.9ng/ml. I was told that anything over 3.5ng/ml could be an indication that something was wrong," he added.
"Even though it was a little bit high, I believe there are people who get readings in the hundreds and even thousands, so I wasn't overly worried."
After undergoing a further examination, an MRI scan and a biopsy at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport , Simon was given the news he dreaded.
"Eight out of the 10 biopsy samples turned out to be cancer," he added.
"But I still took it quite well. Prostate cancer is one of the best to treat successfully.
"I was prepared for them to tell me I had cancer. What I wasn't prepared for was the fact it was so aggressive and advanced. It was a big shock when I found out how bad it was."
Simon had surgery to remove his prostate in November 2017, and in the following December he was told that his PSA score was just 0.1ng/ml.
"I was told to go and buy the biggest bottle of champagne I could find," Simon added.
But his next PSA check, in April 2018, proved far more sobering.
"It was 0.4ng/ml. It was going up, which is never good if you don't have a prostate."
After opting to go private and undergo a scan at Harley Street Clinic in London, it was discovered his cancer had spread to his collarbone, vertebrae, sternum and lymph nodes in the abdomen.
"When I was told it was terminal - and that I'd have an average of seven years left - I realised that Plan A for my life was out the window," he said.
"I didn't make any knee-jerk reactions. I worked for another four or five months and then I decided to retire."
Since February this year, Simon has only spent around half his time in the UK after opting to go travelling to Argentina with a friend, followed by a holiday to the west coast of the USA.
He now has plans to go back to the USA, this time to New York, with his three children aged 26, 24 and 17.
"I always hope for a miracle. I may have just three years left, I could have the average of seven or I could have 20 - you never know.
"I'm now making every day count. Ironically, the diagnosis has given me a sense of freedom. The stress has been taken out of my life as I no longer work."
Simon still undergoes regular hormone therapy which reduces the levels of testosterone in his body and stops "fuelling" the cancer.
Last Sunday, Prostate Cancer UK held a March for Men event at Pontcanna Fields in Bute Park, Cardiff.
Since 2017, more than 10,000 people have taken part in the walks and raised more than £3.3m to support the charity's work.
For more details go to prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/march-for-men
