Firstly thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.  

I have chosen to swim the 10K open water Great North Swim in Windermere this year and swim it for my personal charity of choice - The Christie. 

For those who don't really know me, and those you might have forgotten, I am a bi-lateral testicular cancer survivor and started my relationship with The Christie in January 2009.

2009

After about six months of living with what I thought was a groin strain, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January 2009 and on 14th January had a radical orchidectomy to remove the tumour.  With its staging and pathology confirmed (a pure seminoma) I undertook a course of radiation therapy in February 2009.

2010

Shortly after starting a new job I had a follow-up surveillance appointment with Dr Logue.  During that appointment I was diagnosed with a second (totally new) primary cancer in my other testicle, and on 15th March 2010 I had a second orchidectomy - removing my left testicle and tumour (diagnosed as a pure embryonal carcinoma).

This time I opted for surveillance.

In July my watchful waiting was rewarded as during my regular three-month appointment, Dr Logue informed me that my recent CT scan had come back highlighting a lump and I had been diagnosed with a relapse.

August 2010 saw me transferred into the care of Dr Leahy and September 2010 saw me start my first of three rounds of BEP chemotherapy that would last for nine weeks.

I finished that treatment at the beginning of November 2010 and have been cancer free since then.

The Present Day and Anniversaries

If you are lucky, cancer gives you lots of anniversaries -  the date of diagnosis, the dates of treatment, the date of your first "all clear", and (hopefully) the date of the big 5 year all clear.  

For me this is no different, but 2018 also includes a new anniversary - I will be 50 on the 13th June (5 days after the Great North Swim). 

Because of my history I am very conscious about how fortunate I am - I often tell people that "I was lucky to be diagnosed with testicular cancer" and I truly believe that.  I am not lucky to have cancer - cancer is crap.  What I am thankful for is being diagnosed; being able to rely on the quality of care offered by The Christie and (selfishly) being able to be cured through use of a relatively recently discovered chemotherapy protocol.

I sometimes joke that I should be dead now - had I been diagnosed 20 / 30 years ago that might have come to pass.  But I wasn't and I am still here.  Not everyone is so fortunate.

So as a celebration that cancer didn't kill me - I would like you to kindly donate whatever you feel appropriate to my charity of choice... The Christie.

Thank you!

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(Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity).