Kicking Cancer
- Soccer star Marco Richter, 24, has come a long way since his initial shock over his testicular cancer diagnosis in July.
- Now after beating it, the Berlin-based midfielder is raising awareness about the disease, expressing gratitude for having caught it early and avoiding chemotherapy treatment.
- Most men with testicular cancer will present with an actual mass on their testicle, so don’t be afraid to perform self-checks. If you feel something suspicious, don’t hesitate to go in right away to see your doctor.
Now after beating it, the Berlin-based midfielder from the HERTHA BSC team is raising awareness about the disease, thankful that he caught it early.
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Still, for a manespecially a younger manto find out that they would have to one of their testicles removed is understandably pretty scary at first.
“I could hardly speak and started crying,” the athlete told German news outlet Spiegel.
He was worried about his future, should he ever decide to have children. After being educated by doctors on the topic, he made the decision to donate to a sperm bank.
Now that he is on the other side, Marco is a lot more positive about his health situation.
Related: ‘Stay Positive, It Matters,’ Says Leading Surgeon
“I only have one testicle. So what? Everything works.”
The cancer survivor has an important message for all the guys out there. “Get checked regularly and don't play tough,” he said. “The early visit to the doctor was my great luck!”
Learning More About Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer starts in the testicles (also called testes; a single testicle is called a testis), and these organs are part of the male reproductive system. The two organs are each normally a little smaller than a golf ball in adult males, according to the American Cancer Society. The testes are held within a sac of skin called the scrotum, which hangs under the base of the penis.
Related: 5 Important Facts About Testicular Cancer, Including How to Screen for the Disease
Testicular cancer is not common, according to ACS. In fact, about 1 of every 250 males will develop testicular cancer at some point during their lifetime. In contrast, since testicular cancer can usually be treated successfully, a man's lifetime risk of dying from this cancer is very low about 1 in 5,000.
Dealing With the Shame That May Come With Testicular Cancer
Dr. Edwin Posadas, the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, previously told SurvivorNet that testicular cancer doesn't often present with pain, but it can.
"Most men will present with some sort of mass on their testicle; a sexual partner or spouse may feel the mass when they're being intimate," he said, adding that some men may notice blood in their ejaculate as a result of testicular cancer, which is a less common symptom.
When Mark Borja was first diagnosed with testicular cancer, he felt ashamed of the diagnosis. "Losing that part of your manhood is extremely devastating," Mark told SurvivorNet. "…I almost didn't want to talk about it because it just felt so devastating and it made me feel weak."
Luckily for Mark, who is a filmmaker based out of North Carolina, his friends and family were there for him every step of the way
Save A Nut Testicular Cancer Survivor Mark Borja Makes It His Mission To Spread Awareness
After his own experience with the disease, Mark became curious about how testicular cancer awareness was being spread in his area. Turns out, it wasn't.
"When I looked it up, there was literally no one in Charlotte, North Carolina, doing anything regarding raising awareness for testicular cancer or anything like that," he said. "I wanted to create this thing called 'Save a Nut.' I wanted to make sure that other guys knew that they're not alone for this."
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