Testicular cancer doesn’t wait. Neither did New Zealand’s Blake Thomson

24-year-old Blake Thomson barely stopped to pause when he noticed something felt different about his right testicle. After all, he’s a man who’s always on the go, fighting fires, controlling the possum population or getting lost in the great outdoors. Being dealt a dud hand wasn’t going to slow him down. Instead, it’s made Blake someone we can all be inspired by.

Let’s talk about your diagnosis – when did you first notice something wasn’t quite right, and what was your journey like from that point?

I was having a shower one night in early September when I noticed the lump, about half the size of a pea on my right testicle. I knew it wasn’t normal being in such an unusual spot, so my thoughts instantly went to getting it checked out the next day.

After the GP referral, I had the ultrasound where it was obvious from what was on screen that there was something wrong, seeing a dark cloud-like shape show up. It was then that my heart sunk a little and I could tell what it was. Next step was the urologist, where I was booked in for surgery to have my nut removed the following Wednesday as he was sure it was testicular cancer.

The whole process from detection to surgery was only 10 days and it was a bit of a whirlwind, so I didn’t have too much time to dwell on it, I was focused on “Right, let’s get rid of this thing” and was simply playing with the cards I'd been dealt.

One thing that really stuck out (other than the lump) was realising the harsh truth that s**t happens whether you like it or not. It really drove home some learnings about mindset and the way I look at life. Namely, doing what makes you feel alive; making time to do things you've always wanted and spend time with the people who make life sweeter. You just never know what's around the corner.

How did your friends, family, and coworkers react when you told them?

I only told family and close friends during my diagnosis. I wanted to be sure of what was going on before I told anyone else. Everyone was beyond shocked to say the least. Obviously my parents hearing that their youngest boy had cancer was a hard pill to swallow. But they, like me, had the same mindset of getting it done and were supporting me through every way they could, I felt very thankful for them and my mates who helped me through.

In general, everyone simply couldn't believe what they'd heard; that I, being such a young, active man with his whole life ahead, had just been diagnosed with cancer.

Once I had recovered and decided on fundraising, I put the news out to the masses, divulging what I'd been through and that I was now cancer free. Aside from sharing the news, it did help a lot with my fundraising I think, as essentially I was asking people to show their support by donating to Movember as opposed to helping me since, by that stage, I was fine.

A lot of guys feel awkward about seeing a doctor for something like this. What would you say to someone hesitant to get checked?

I was never really scared or embarrassed to get it checked out. To me, getting the doc to check out a testicle is no different to going to the physio for a bung ankle; it's just another body part. 50% of the population have them and the GP is totally used to it, it is their job after all.

I think a big part of the mental game though is acceptance and the sooner you stop thinking “Nah, surely not” then the easier it is and more successful the outcome. It's real, and it can happen to anyone. I think this became very clear for my local community, and from my diagnosis and fundraising campaign I caused an influx of young men going to the local health centre to get their balls checked, which is both funny and fantastic. All it took was for someone that they knew to go through it, and it was suddenly real.

Before all this, had you ever googled how to check your balls?

I had actually, though I wasn’t very religious about doing it. I think it was just as well I found the lump when I did. All the more reason why everyone else should do it regularly as who knows what would've happened if I hadn't found it by chance!

And finally, any words of wisdom for guys hesitating to get checked?

One analogy I love that applies to this, and much more in life is that of hopping on the wrong train; the sooner you realise you're heading the wrong direction, get off at the next station; the more you wait the longer and more costly it is to get back on the right track.