On Monday, my left nut felt a bit weird – like it was bruised – but I just brushed it off thinking it was just a footy injury. By Wednesday (2 days later) I could feel a pulling feeling in my groin – like my nut was really heavy.
So I booked in to see the doctor on the Friday. In the meantime, I went to Dr Google and diagnosed it as just a blockage in my nut tubes, that usually clears itself up in a few days. I read about the signs of testicular cancer, but simply thought ‘that could never happen to me’.
Come Friday, I didn’t want to go to the doctor because of the busyness of owning a business. And I didn’t want to have to drop my pants in front of another man.
“6 months later, I’m living a healthy lifestyle and awaiting the arrival of my miracle baby girl.”
I almost didn’t go to the appointment – but at the last minute I decided to just go. By this point, I hadn’t told my girlfriend or my family that I was sore and that I was booked in to the doctors. I was there on my own.
I wish I had mentioned it to my family beforehand, because it was the hardest and loneliest day of my life.
What happened next was a whirlwind... hours later I was under the knife to get my left nut cut out, and had 6 weeks left to ‘get well enough for chemo’.
Family is everything. Their support and the overwhelming tide of love was key to healing. The best reactions were from a number of people who were inspired to go and get their own niggling health concerns addressed.
Nowadays, I’ve got one eye (I was born blind in one eye) and one nut (after being blindsided by testicular cancer), which kinda sucks. But I’m alive, and I’m taking advantage of every minute.
6 months later, I’m living a healthy lifestyle and awaiting the arrival of my miracle baby girl.
We all go through crises. Crises of health. Crises of relationships. Cash-flow crisis.
When faced with crisis, I try to remember: “Good timber does not grow with ease, the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.”
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