CHIRS
35 (AT THE TIME)
LONG BEACH, CA
STAGE 2B
My wife and I were hoping and praying that whatever it was that was causing my left testicle to swell was anything but cancer, but it didn’t turn out that way.
In May 2016 I was in the best shape of my life as an enthusiast triathlete and runner, and that’s when I found out that I had testicular cancer.
Then we hoped that the cancer didn’t spread to my lymph nodes, but that didn’t happen either. By June I would be diagnosed as Stage IIB and it only seemed to be getting worse.
In August 2016, after a lot of thought and prayer,
I decided to undergo chemotherapy. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life, harder than any race I’ve ever done. Luckily I had very supportive friends, co-workers, and family, but especially my loving and supportive wife. I don’t know how I would have gotten through this otherwise.
By mid September I finished chemo and was so relieved and happy that there were no signs of cancer. Today I live each day totally grateful and continually humbled that I’m alive. I only hope to pay it forward and show love and support to others that are going through this. It’s the least we can do.