Select a region
A young father who nearly let fear get in the way of seeing a doctor - who later gave him a life-saving diagnosis - is urging islanders not to follow his example.
28-year-old Sam O’Reilly took nearly two months before visiting a doctor after noticing a lump on his testicle.
“It was exactly the kind of thing you’re warned about, pea sized and not painful,” he told Express.
For many, stereotypical male ‘macho-ness’ can play a part in putting off appointments or embarrassment concerns. In Sam’s case, it was all about what unsettling news testing might dredge up.
“From my point of view it was fear, fear that it wasn’t going to be benign (which unfortunately it wasn’t), fear it has already spread and it was too late. I have a seven-year-old son and a fiancé who I am marrying next year - it was fear that I wouldn’t be here for them anymore,” he confessed.
Sam decided to ignore his symptoms, but was finally prompted to visit a medic only a few weeks ago when he realised the lump had increased in size, leading the husband-to-be to worry.
The young insurance firm executive popped to the doctors one Monday after work. From then, he says things started to move very quickly.
“Everything happened so fast… I had an ultra sound scan the following Wednesday. 24 hours after that, I was with a consultant up at Overdale,” Sam recalled.
It was there that he received the fatal blow: the lump was a cancerous tumour, and his left testicle would have to be removed. “I was in shock and didn’t really know how to process what I had been told, I went back to work as it seemed to be a good distraction.”
Fortunately, health professionals were able to act swiftly. They performed a surgery around a week and a half ago - and so far, so good.
Sam is now recovering, but will have a close eye kept on his progress. He explained the next steps: “Recovery time is approximately two weeks, depending on how everything heals. The tumour will be tested and, depending on the level of risk and type of cancer it is, I will either receive chemotherapy or have check ups every couple of months to ensure nothing has spread. I will have to see a specialist regardless of the tests in Southampton in the coming weeks.”
Testicular cancer hits nearly 200 men across the UK per year, according to Cancer Research UK, but prognosis is promising when the symptoms are spotted early. All men survive the disease for five years or more when caught in its initial stages. The percentage survival rate drops, however, the longer the condition goes untreated.
For the grateful father-of-one, it seems to have been a fortuitous escape from a nasty condition. “I feel very lucky as my situation could have been a lot worse as I left going to my doctor far too long,” he commented.
#TesticularCancer @checkemlads how to check testicles lads, its more common in men under 30 and on the increase. pic.twitter.com/1cRaDfuvHT
— Testicular Cancer Uk (@checkemlads) March 31, 2017
Video: How to check for testicular cancer. For information on breast cancer symptoms, click here.
Though still struggling to process his own ordeal, Sam knows for sure that he doesn’t want other islanders - whether male and female - to go through the same or worse.
The former Highlands student has so far taken to social media to share his advice not to run from health problems with friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances.
“Please check for lumps and if you find anything at all please please please go to your doctor and face it head on! Don’t wait like I did!” Sam wrote in a Facebook post liked more than 200 times.
Now he’s looking to amplify that message even further. “If there is one thing I can make people realise, it is that there is nothing to be embarrassed about and that even if you are scared it’s best to hit it head on otherwise it could be a whole lot scarier if left for too long. If I can help even one person, I will feel that what I’ve gone through isn’t for nothing.”
Pictured: This month's Movember initiative, which sees many sponsored to grow or adorn a moustache, aims to promote and fundraise for men's health issues such as testicular and prostate cancer.
It’s a timely reminder in the month of November - otherwise known as Movember, a time of year when Channel Islands and UK men start sprouting a hairy fleece atop their lip to raise awareness and funds for the most important issues for men’s health, including prostate and testicular cancer.
To donate directly to the Movember Foundation, who run the initiative, click here.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.