‘Your world comes crashing down’: Tamworth testicular cancer survivor urges men to get checked
Matt Sutton was diagnosed with had testicular cancer when he was 25
Matt Sutton, from Tamworth, was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 25 and says men should check themselves regularly.
Matt said he first noticed symptoms after experiencing pain and was diagnosed after having a CT scan.
He said his world came ‘crashing down’ after hearing he had cancer.
But Matt said he wishes he had checked sooner.
Matt said: ‘I kick myself sometimes that I should’ve noticed the signs’ and that the symptoms he had, he ‘did not know to check them’.
It comes as Testicular Cancer Awareness month, reminds men to get themselves checked. Matt said men shouldn’t be afraid of this, as ‘it could save your life’.
Matt told us ‘men often worry’ about a stigma, but said there’s no shame in getting checked.
After going through three rounds of chemotherapy and an operation to remove lymph nodes, Matt was given the all clear.
He says he feels ‘lucky’ that he was able to recover.
But that doesn’t take away from the pain that cancer can cause.
Matt’s dad also had cancer at the same time as his diagnosis. Matt said that for his family it was a ‘struggle’.
He went on to say that cancer takes away your dignity, with some procedures being humiliating for patients.
Despite all of this, Matt said he couldn’t fault the staff who treated him in hospital.
In the UK, more than 2,300 men get diagnosed with testicular cancer each year.
Although the disease is treatable, the earlier testicular cancer gets caught, the better.
Matt said that when he was battling cancer he tried to ‘see the light at the end of the tunnel’ and reminded men going through the same battle to do the same.