Latest news with #testicularcancer
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy star Sam Docherty says he feels PRIVILEGED to have been diagnosed with testicular cancer twice - as he makes teammate break down in emotional goodbye
Carlton star Sam Docherty has announced this week's game against Hawthorn will be his 184th and final AFL game - before stating he feels 'privileged' after being diagnosed with testicular cancer twice. And in emotional scenes, the inspirational defender also reduced long-time Blues teammate Patrick Cripps to tears as he thanked the two-time Brownlow medallist for their sporting journey together. 'Unfortunately I don't get that (premiership dream) but I walk away pretty happy and fulfilled with everything else that has happened throughout my career,' Docherty said on AFL 360 on Tuesday. 'I think most people would come into footy and the thought of playing 300 games and winning Brownlow medals and best-and-fairests and All Australians, that's what takes your fancy when you first start. 'I obviously got dealt a set of cards (cancer) that were pretty difficult to play at times. 'The reality is losing my dad made all the personal accolades make sense for me, but my cancer diagnosis changed the goalposts in some ways about what I actually value in my career. 'I feel privileged and lucky to have gone through that in some weird way because I walk out with perspective....I don't think that was the lesson I thought I was going to get when I came to footy, but that is what I've ended up with and I'm very glad I've got it.' When addressing the Carlton playing group about hanging up his boots, Docherty singled out Cripps for his ongoing friendship. 'Crip, sorry mate, we don't get to share that moment together,' Docherty began. 'We've been at this for a long time man. 'From crisis meeting walks on a Sunday to beers and, we've been having this solid goal for a very, very long time man and I love ya. 'I hope you get what you deserve in footy and I hope you get what you're chasing. 'But I want to thank you for everything you've given me. It's been a hell of a journey. 'Hopefully the club can, if you win one, let me roll it out to you, that'd be nice. 'But yeah mate you're an amazing leader, an amazing friend. You've guided me and helped me a hell of a lot over my time so thank you very much.' Docherty made his AFL debut with the Brisbane Lions in 2012, eventually playing 13 games across two seasons. Seeking regular football, he then moved interstate and joined Carlton in 2014, where he has become a fan favourite. In 2020, Docherty was diagnosed with the first of two bouts of testicular cancer, which saw him undergo multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatment. The father of two made a triumphant return, only to then be sidelined after rupturing his ACL early last season. Against the odds, Docherty returned for the finals, but the Blues were beaten by eventual premiers Brisbane.
National Post
15 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Dakota Joshua takes fellow cancer survivor Phil Kessel's No. 81
Article content But in asking for it, the new left winger isn't thinking of Phil Kessel the enigmatic scorer as much as a fellow testicular cancer survivor. Article content Article content 'I love the mojo there,' Joshua told the Sun on Tuesday when confirming he'll wear his familiar digits from the Vancouver Canucks. 'I knew his story and looking forward to playing a long time here like Kessel did.' Article content Kessel's bout with the disease was with the Boston Bruins, before he led Toronto in points six consecutive seasons up to 2015. Joshua was diagnosed early last season, had a tumour removed and made it back to play 57 games. But it affected many aspects of his play and while his offensive numbers slipped, the Canucks missed the playoffs and the term and burden of Joshua's contract ($3.25 million for three more years) were part of a change in direction for that club. Article content 'For sure it puts your life in perspective,' Joshua said of his serious medical issue. 'The biggest takeaway is that anything can happen to you, so make the most of (life). But after coming out the other side, I'm stronger as a person. It makes you confident you can get through anything.' Article content Joshua was traded here a week ago for a fourth-round pick in 2028. He was briefly in the Leaf orbit as a 2014 draft selection at 128th overall, the year William Nylander went eighth. Article content Joshua stayed at home at Dearborn, Mich., for that draft in Philadelphia, but did come to a couple of developmental camps where at 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, he certainly garnered attention. Article content But the Leafs were undergoing a huge changing of the guard and he didn't see a future in Hogtown – at least then. Article content 'Being drafted by the Leafs was very special, a big moment in my career. It didn't work out (the Ohio State grad was traded to St. Louis for future considerations), a mix of not being the right fit and a better opportunity with the Blues. Article content 'But I had fun at Toronto's camps and coming here today (to the Ford Centre practice facility) it was a little familiar to me.' Article content The 29-year-old met with general manager Brad Treliving, the training and equipment staff and caught up with some Leafs who are already busy with summer training. He says there was no discussion of exactly where he'll fit in on left wing, likely in the bottom six once September camp begins. Article content 'Today was moreso an introduction, getting back in the building and Brad telling me to have a good summer so I can hit the ground running in a couple of months.' Article content Since the trade, the sports networks have flooded their Leaf segments with Joshua's fights, including one with Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk, one of Toronto great nemeses, another a couple of years ago with Leaf defender Mark Giordano just before he turned 40. Article content Giordano, now a member of the Leafs' development staff, said at the time he had second thoughts once he saw how big Joshua was. Article content 'I didn't see Mark today, but I'm sure when I do, we'll have a few laughs about it,' Joshua said.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I got kicked in the testicles by a 6'5" bloke while playing football and it saved my LIFE
It's every bloke's worst nightmare, prompting a pain so sharp and an embarrassment so overwhelming that it can bring the toughest man to his knees. But for one miraculous cancer survivor, the dreadful experience of being kicked in the testicles saved his life, proving that even the darkest of clouds possess silver linings. Owen McNee fell victim to the toe-curling ordeal during a game of football with friends in Glasgow in 1989, eight months after he had married his wife Lindsay. The resulting lump led the then 26-year-old to visit his local GP, before being referred to hospital where tests eventually revealed testicular cancer. Having caught the illness early, an operation removing the offending testicle paired with ten weeks of chemotherapy meant the cancer was gone within a year. Now 62, Owen has set up a Gofundme in memory of his father-in-law, who died just months after being diagnosed with myeloma, and will embark on a lengthy cycle ride to raise money for Myeloma UK. Reflecting on his own battle with cancer, the retired chartered engineer admits he has his over-zealous pal to thank for a quick victory. He told MailOnline: 'I was [grateful he did it]. He was a big lad as well. David Williams was his name, six foot five. 'Big David...I kept telling him all about it after it. 'It wasn't the case where everybody was told to feel their nuts back then. 'It was only because I felt sore and felt a hard lump and the GP, he was bang on, he said, "stay in the hospital".' Has he ever told his mate he saved his life? 'I have. I actually went to watch them play football soon after and they were a man short, so I actually went onto the park, totally bald, with no hair on my body at all, to play football. 'And I was exhausted. It was quite funny because there were wee kids at the side of the park shouting, "baldy, baldy". 'I'm baldy now but back then I was a 28-year-old baldy. It was funny because it was back in Easterhouse where I grew up and all these boys were like me.' It's perhaps little surprise that, post cancer, Owen has been keen to get back onto the pitch whenever he can, given the remarkable boost the initial kickabout had on his life expectancy. That fateful day in 1989 did not have the hallmarks of a particularly unusual one for the footy fanatic as he gathered his stuff together for a typical fixture with his mates. But several moments of extremely good fortune later and it soon became a match the Scot would never forget. The first emerged the minute the group arrived, as they were forced into cancelling the planned game following a few drop-outs. This pushed them onto a smaller five-a-side pitch as an alternative, perhaps a factor behind the painful collision which cut his involvement in the match short. In agony, Owen visited the GP and then the hospital before being sent home with a clean bill of health. But just one week later, he checked himself in again after his back grew sore. A further round of tests revealed he had cancer. Owen had his testicle removed in a swift operation and was soon lying in the ward of a Victorian era hospital feeling rather sorry for himself. 'Being just married, we were obviously very upset,' he said. 'Until a typical Glaswegian breathing oxygen in the bed beside us started singing, "Owen, he's only got one ball, the other is in the surgeon's hall". 'This was through tears and everything else at this point.' Further encouragement was to be found in the consistent positivity of an oncology professor at Glasgow University who figured the cancer had just a 20 per cent chance of returning. 'He said: "It's curable, even if it comes back," and it did come back, and I had to do about a 12-week course of chemo - which was a week on and two weeks off.' On top of the singing compatriot in the neighbouring bed, laughter often proved just the tonic for Owen as he battled through a miserable year. 'There was always humour in what was happening but to be perfectly honest when the professor told me there was a cure then I just believed there was a cure. I didn't have any doubt after that. 'There were some issues moving through chemotherapy, including when we tried to play monopoly. 'With chemotherapy you actually lose dexterity in your fingers and we ended up all of us killing ourselves laughing because we couldn't pick up the pieces making the move. 'I will always remember that. Most of the time, we're in bed getting pumped full of this drug and then in the other times we actually tried to play a game and it was just daft. 'You would pick up a house and it would skate across the table. It's a fond memory of a hard time.' Soon he was cancer-free. The speed with which the illness had been spotted had proved pivotal in his chances of survival. 'It was gone after the chemo,' Owen said. 'It was a good cancer to get if you get it early enough. Any early cancer diagnosis is good.' For the next five or six years, Owen became a test case for an anti-chemo sickness drug, with doctors keeping a keen eye to see if his lymph nodes grew - which they did not. Making a habit of upsetting the odds, the cancer survivor was able to have a boy, named Scott, five years after receiving the all clear, despite being told ahead of his initial operation that this might prove impossible. He then had two more, a boy and a girl. His youngest is 25, while the middle child is now 27. Throughout the cancer ordeal, his wife Lindsay was a constant source of support. 'She was always there,' Owen added. 'It was tougher for her, for my family, my sisters, brothers and their kids.' Hell-bent on enjoying life after his miraculous recovery, Owen was 'determined' to retire by the age of 60 - an impressive feat he achieved two years ago - after becoming a partner at a consultant engineering firm. He has now changed his sport of choice to cycling, regularly cycling with friends - but only if there is a cake or coffee available at the end of the route. More importantly, Owen has became a serial fundraiser, regularly peddling to raise money over the last decade. His latest challenge will see him cycle 35 miles in the Tour de 4, Sir Chris Hoy's cancer charity initiative. His father-in-law was a cyclist into his eighties, inspiring the challenge, and won several veterans races. He died, aged 84, just six months after being diagnosed with myeloma, while Owen's mother-in-law also died from throat cancer. 'What disappointed me was that he degenerated so quickly,' he said. 'In his early 80s he had just bought a spin bike and was still doing the spin in the house. 'It didn't take very long and it was a lot of pain.' The latest fundraiser is a variation on a 13-year tradition which started when the Olympic Games headed to the UK in 2012. Owen added: 'I'm doing it with one of my mates, Ian. We do go occasionally for a cycle, and me and a lot of other mates have been doing charity since 2012 when the Olympics was in London. 'That year we cycled down to London and got there on the Saturday, and three of them ran the London Marathon on the Sunday. 'But this is just something for me and my pal, just to go and maybe think about the people [affected]. Cancer is distinct from the other things that we've been doing cycling for. '[We're particularly inspired by] Chris Hoy with him being a cyclist and stuff. We cycled in the velodrome, we had that experience. 'We're doing 35 miles. At 14 stone and six foot, it is quite hard going uphill.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Carlton veteran Sam Docherty will play his final game against Hawthorn on Thursday night
After overcoming two bouts of testicular cancer and two ACL injuries to forge an AFL career which included All-Australian honours and a club best and fairest, Carlton star Sam Docherty has announced his retirement. Docherty will play his 18th and final game against Hawthorn on Friday night, having established himself as a player Carlton coach Michael Voss said had turned very challenge he'd faced into a 'triumph'. Not only was Docherty a best and fairest winner at Carlton, he also captained the club, having overcome a raft of battles to forge a career to remember. Docherty missed all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons after undergoing back-to-back ACL reconstructions. But on his return in 2020 to he was diagnosed with the first of two bouts of testicular cancer. Docherty underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatment, returning to football on both occasions amid a journey full of ' resilience, strength and on and off-field brilliance'. The 31-year-old said he'd been able to live his dream, despite the hurdles he had to jump. 'When I was a kid my entire family used to climb into a van and drive from Phillip Island to the MCG for Round 1 every year,' Docherty said. 'For me to get the chance to go on and play in those games, and also captain the club that I grew up supporting – I can honestly say it's a dream come true,' Docherty said. 'To have built the most incredible friendships over the last 14 years which I will take with me for the rest of my life, I am so incredibly thankful and I appreciate everyone who has supported me through it all. 'Perspective is such a valuable thing, and that is what I am most grateful for in my career. When my career started I thought a footballer had to define themselves by the accolades they achieved: while I am certainly grateful for those that have come my way, I will leave this game with so much more. 'The experiences I have had not just in my football career, but in life, have moved the goalposts for me – while there has been no shortage of challenges, because of what I have been through I have been allowed to meet so many amazing people and have had the opportunity to have an impact far greater than kicking or handballing a football ever could.' Blues coach Voss paid tribute to Docherty and what he has meant to the Carlton Football Club. 'For every challenge Sam has faced, he has turned it into a triumph,' Voss said. 'I still remember clear as day the first face-to-face conversation I had with Sam at the back end of 2021: we went for a walk and he told me he was going to play in Round 1 in a few months' time. To see him defy the odds and do that, to kick that goal against the Tigers – that typifies what a remarkable mindset he has. 'He has captained our club, won a best and fairest, All Australian and been a sounding board for so many of our younger players, and all those things only tell half the story of the Sam Docherty impact. What he has done and will keep doing in the community continues to be an inspiration. 'Our football club is forever grateful for Sam and the sacrifices he made to be able to pull on the Navy Blue – we wish him, his wife Nat and Ruby and Myles nothing but happiness for their next chapter. They know they will always be able to call Carlton home.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Prostate Cancer Awareness: Inspiring Stories from Patients and Those Who Care for Them
A prostate cancer diagnosis can be scary and overwhelming — but a strong and steadfast network of support will help get patients through the darkest days. "I can't tell you how important it is to have people in your life where you can just say, 'I'm scared, I'm tired, I'm frustrated,' " says actor Colin Egglesfield in our latest PEOPLE Health cover story. "And for them to just give you a hug and say, 'I'm here for you'—it means the world." Egglesfield would know — the 53-year-old was declared in remission in February after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023, his third bout with cancer. Elsewhere in our People Like Us condition center, from the editors of PEOPLE and Verywell Health, you'll hear stories from patients in all different stages of their prostate cancer journeys. Learn the truth about common misconceptions associated with the disease, the early warning signs, the best foods to have on hand, if you or someone you know has been newly diagnosed, and more. Egglesfield was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2006, then again a year later. So by the time he discovered his prostate cancer in 2023, he was well equipped mentally handle his diagnosis. 'I've learned to not react as emotionally as I used to, and to see it from a place of, 'Okay, what's necessary for me to be able to navigate this next challenge in my life?'" he says. He shares a raw and honest look at his experience and talks about the tips and practices that most aided in his recovery. A guide to prostate cancer. Cancer caregiving can be taxing in many ways, both physicially and emotionally, as well as on the caregiver's time and resources. Here's how to help prevent burnout. Joel and Caroline Graybeal became a powerful team in the face of his health news, prioritizing travel and their time together. "You can't give cancer the power to take your day away from you," says Joel. Freedom Singers founder Charles D. Neblett has found a new mission at 84: encouraging others to become more aware of the symptoms and dangers of prostate cancer. Plus, former Indianapolis Colts player Chris Scott openly shares his story after his late father kept his prostate cancer a secret. Cover star Colin Egglesfield leaned on his girlfriend Krista, his friend Will, his sister Kerry, his brother Sean—and "a lot of people I didn't even know" from social media—for support throughout his health challenges. Read the original article on People
