Mark P

My testicular cancer journey began when I was getting out of the shower and felt a twinge, felt around and discovered a hard lump on my left testicle. I went to the GP/doctor, who referred me for an ultrasound, and never ever expected to hear a diagnosis of cancer.

I had surgery quite quickly to remove the testicle, followed by nine weeks of chemotherapy before I was given the all-clear. Diagnosis to the end of treatment was six months end-to-end, but then my longest battle came after, dealing with severe anxiety and stress. Luckily a friend of the family advised me to go for counselling, which certainly helped but it still took a while to come to terms with having had testicular cancer.

Now I am in a completely different and much stronger place compared to where I was during diagnosis. I very occasionally get a flashback that brings it all back, but they are very few and far between. Certainly getting involved with Movember and meeting other guys who had testicular cancer and sharing our experience has played a big role in helping me feel normal again.