Our journey begins like any other couple with young children.

We were all in, what we thought, was good health. We never missed our annual doctor’s appointments; we were conscious of what we ate; we were even using natural soap; and were happy. We lived as stress free as possible and did I mention we were happy?


My husband worked full time and I was a stay at home mom. The kids were not quite 4 and not quite 2.

It was a Monday that changed everything.

My husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

A month earlier, Andy had some mild pain and discomfort in his lower abdomen and testicle. At first, it seemed to go away, so we thought it may have been a strain. But when it returned, he immediately saw our family doctor. He was sent for an ultrasound and within days received a diagnosis of suspected testicular cancer.

Even in the few days when he was waiting for ultrasound results, we never once wondered if there was a chance this could be serious. We never wondered if this could be cancer. Not once.

So when he came home after his appointment that Monday and told me he had cancer, I was in complete shock. A spiralling few days followed. I was worried. Sad. Convinced I would lose him. However, we turned to information as a source of calm and quickly learned testicular cancer, when caught early, has very high survival rates. We didn’t know what was ahead, but we had hope.

Surgery was followed by Chemotherapy (topics for future blogs) and now, he is on a monthly surveillance program that includes blood work and x-rays.

It seems very likely that he has beaten this cancer!

It’s been 6 months of worry, wait, stress and support. We were surrounded by friends and family who helped provide food, comfort, and care for our children while we were at appointments and treatment. We also received incredible care and support from the health care system. Our family doctor, surgeon, oncologist, and the nurses and staff at the Ottawa General Hospital and Cancer Centre have helped make this journey very positive and much more doable. We realize, more than ever, how blessed we are to have amazing people in our lives. How blessed we are to have two beautiful children and each other.

This blog will share our experience in hopes of helping others through what is no doubt one of the most difficult times anyone can face. Anything I can do to help the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, its patients and survivors is an honour and pleasure.

Thanks for reading along.