What cancer were you diagnosed with?

Stage 2 Testicular Cancer

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What age were you diagnosed?

33

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What has helped you to thrive?

During my cancer treatment, I was lucky enough to be synced up for chemotherapy sessions with another guy the same age as me, with the same diagnosis. Going through chemotherapy with someone else made such a difference; we could share our stories and keep each other entertained with lots of games of FIFA. It was pure chance that I found my ‘chemo buddy’, Trekstock is such a great place to meet and talk with other people dealing with cancer, you don’t have to go through it alone.  

I’m an extremely keen triathlete, during my treatment I tried to do a little bit of exercise every day. Exercise kept me strong and mentally sound throughout my cancer treatment.  I plan on getting back to racing triathlon again in 2020 and I have some exciting challenges planned in the future to raise awareness for testicular cancer, check out my blog www.triathletevscancer.com for an update on my latest fundraising campaigns.  Away from exercise, I also learnt to play the guitar during my chemotherapy! Playing my guitar was a peaceful escape from cancer, it gave me focus and got me into a regular routine.

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Jon's Story

I first noticed a dull ache in my testicle during a 1200 mile solo cycling trip around the deserts and mountains of Morocco in February 2019. I was cycling almost 100 miles a day, so I put the ache down to all the cycling. I knew I should be checking down there regularly, but I hadn’t checked for a long time. The dull ache prompted me to have a feel. My testicle felt rock solid. The ache went away and I carried on with the trip with my hard-ball in the back of my mind. On my return to the UK, I got checked out by my GP.

Before I knew it, I had the testicle removed. The results soon came back and it was confirmed, I had testicular cancer. The testicle had developed a mixed germ cell tumour and scans showed cancer had spread into one of my lymph nodes in my back. I underwent 9 weeks of BEP chemotherapy and I’m pleased to say a few months later the scans showed I was free of cancer. Thankfully, my encounter with cancer was brief and I am now back to work and doing all the things I love again.