A California man is lucky to be alive after doctors found a huge, cancerous tumor with tentacles growing inside him last year.
The tumor, which looks like the pods from the sci-fi film “Alien,” was the size of a soccer ball and doctors estimate it was growing inside of him for almost 10 years. Not only had it calcified, it was adding pressure to his heart, pushing his lungs away from where they should be and forcing his stomach to push down.
It was equally shocking and surprising for the 36-year old Vice Principal, named Josh Abken, who went to the doctor about back pain.
“You think you got a serious muscle pull or something, [but] the doctor has that serious doctor face you see on TV,” Abken told AOL News. “They didn’t really know what was growing inside of me.”
Getting rid of the tumor, nicknamed “Gill,” wasn’t an easy task. It took surgeons several tense hours to remove the rock-hard growth. However, the cancerous lump was successfully removed and Abken is living life in a more appreciative state of mind.
“You’re looking through a completely different lens for the rest of your life, as far as what you’re grateful for and what you don’t take for granted.”
