April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month. Testicular Cancer defined is a rare form of cancer that only affects one testicle and not both and occurs in males 15-35. I was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer on July 19, 2013 at the age of 43, another rarity. When I was diagnosed I didn't have or feel any of the common symptoms related to this disease. I showed up that day at my Doctors office for a physical which is where she discovered that my right testicle was considerably larger than my left testicle and considerably harder to the touch.

After my diagnosis was made my doctor immediately scheduled me for an ultrasound to confirm what she already knew was true. The only choice for me was to have surgery to resect the right testicle (the one that was affected) which is what I had 1 week later on July 25, 2013. I was confident that this was the right decision for me as there was a 95% recovery rate.  After the surgery the cancer that is left commonly travels into the lymph nodes creating pain that needs to be taken care of either through radiation or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was the treatment of choice for me on March 31, 2014 because of where in the lymph nodes the cancer was located and radiation wouldn't completely kill it like chemotherapy would. I would continue these treatments until May 27, 2014 the day I was declared cancer free as I am today nearly 5 years later.

During the chemotherapy process you are given a diagnosis and a stage. For me that was Stage II Seminoma which is mild compared to Stage IV which is the worst. If it gets that far the cancer can progress past the lymph nodes into the lungs and possibly the brain if not taken care of properly. 

Testicular Cancer may be a rare form of cancer with a 95% recovery rate but, if ignored can be a problem. The problem being the man's misconception that you lose your manhood if you have this form of cancer and something is taken away if you get it taken care of. I say you only lose your manhood if you think like that and don't get it taken care of and do nothing about it.  In other words, don't be a sad sack, CHECK YOUR BALLS!!!

Another year. Another milestone. Today I have made it to my 4 year cancerversary. I am in the best shape of my life and am feeling good. My cancer testing is scheduled for June 6th, but have had labs already done that suggest that the cancer is still not there. The biggest step to keeping cancer away is to eat right and listen and trust what your doctors tell you. I'm able to wallk and ride an exercise bike twice a day and get between 7 to 8 miles a day doing so even with my neck injury.

My plan going forward is to ace the CT Scan I have coming up on June 6th. Then, conquering my disability to hopefully be able to return to the workforce by the end of the calander year God willing.

It's a new year and I'm as healthy as I've ever been in my life. In May I will have been cancer free for 4 years but cancer is still out there causing havoc where ever it goes and who ever it chooses to infect or take from us. This bothers me because I continue to lose classmates to this awful disease. Friends and family that are younger than me is what bothers me the most. It makes me wonder why I was so successful in beating cancer and not getting a return visit when most people I know are only getting one chance in defeating this disease.

I lost a great friend to me and classmate last week to this disease and he only got one chance to fight it. He suffered for a few months but was too late once they found it. That makes one classmate this year and four last year and the ironic thing is, that all these classmates were younger than me. I have been thinking the last week is it guilty to feel this way in knowing that cancer takes people of all ages. Not sure how to feel but hopefully this is the last of my classmates, friends, and family to be taken like this.

Last time I wrote on here it was the 4 year anniversary of being diagnosed with testicular cancer. Since then, I saw my urologist in early November and the appointment went so well that if my next appointment at the end of April goes well then I will only have to see him every year instead of every 6 months, but only if I pass the extensive testing he has planned for me. Fingers crossed.

To go with that, I saw my cancer doctor at Dana Farber Cancer Institute here in New Hampshire where I live this past Wednesday and that appointment went well too. Still cancer free after 3 1/2 years after my last chemotherapy treatment on May 27, 2014. If my appointment and CT Scan goes well in June 2018 the same thing will happen, I will be pushed off to every year seeing my cancer doctor instead of every 6 months. If this happens I will see my urologist every April and my cancer doctor every November as she wants to do this in November in case anything bad happens from April on. This way I will still be checked twice a year but by 2 different doctors spread out instead of getting checked in April and June.

All in all it's been a very good 2017 for me as my quality of life has improved by leaps and bounds. I have lost 120 pounds to boot since December 2015.

Today is the 4 year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. Still dominating cancer and living a full productive life. Take that cancer.