Joshua S

“Need to talk later today, come back. Maybe bring parent(s) to discuss.”

This was the email from my doctor the day of my testicular ultrasound and I knew exactly what it meant. An hour later, he sat me down and started to tell us that the ultrasound results had come back right away and that they had found a tumor, very likely cancerous, in the left testicle. Once that line came out of his mouth, all the fear of this situation had become a reality and couldn’t fight back the tears any longer.

The next day was the craziest of my life and miraculously within 24 hours of initial diagnosis of testicular cancer I was in surgery to remove my left testicle (let’s call it the lefticle). This was thanks to early diagnosis, an amazing family physician, an incredible oncology team, and a ton of good fortune.

Afterwards, the most common sentence I heard from friends and family was‚ “You are so lucky.” However, I didn’t feel lucky. I was recovering from cancer while my friends were enjoying their summer. How is that lucky? I wasn’t able to look at it that way at the time. It took me a while, but now, 8 years after diagnosis, I fully appreciate what they were saying.

Each of our stories and experiences are different, but I am here to help and listen to your personal experience.