Celebrities With Testicular Cancer. Probably the most famous and the most vocal celebrity diagnosed with testicular cancer is champion cyclist Lance Armstrong. He appears to have successfully fought off his cancerous cells even though, as we noted in an earlier post, his cancer spread to his lungs and brain.
Armstrong is quite active in spreading the word about testicular cancer and, we think, is able to provide hope to those who are confronting the same problem he faces.
Anyhoo, here are other famous men who battled testicular cancer:
Jason Cundy. Retired English football star Jason Cundy was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997. He had a surgical operation to have the cancerous cells removed and here’s what he wrote of the experience (via The Daily Mail):
By the time of the operation, my testicle had doubled in size. It felt unbelievably heavy but I wasn’t in pain. I tried to stay positive, though, because we still didn’t know for sure that it was cancer. I was shocked when I heard what the doctors were going to do. They made an incision on the left side of my hip and wound my testicle up like a conker and removed it. I’ve now got a two-inch scar on the left side of my pelvis.
Despite the surgery, Jason was able to sire a second son but subsequent daily radiotherapy to get rid of precancerous cells in his remaining testicle has now rendered him infertile.
Cundy helped establish a cancer organization, Cancer Campaign in Suffolk which seeks to “to improve access to high quality information and support services to cancer patients and their carers in Suffolk.”
Pete Postlethwaite. One of the most underrated actors in the world, Pete Postlethwaite was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1990.
A report by The Guardian states that he had his cancerous testicle removed “but he seems happy enough with just the one.”
The talented actor who earned an Oscar nomination for the 1993 film, The Name of the Father, survived his testicular cancer but not pancreatic cancer which is listed as the cause of his death on 02 January 2011. The world will miss him.
Tony Marsh. Third in our list of Celebrities With Testicular Cancer is Tony Marsh. The Kiwi-born French rugby player was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2003. He underwent months of chemotherapy and overcame the disease.
He says of his recovery: “The cancer’s over, it’s behind me. In my head, I’m cleared. I train every day and I’ve started running again this week.”
In an interview with The Guardian, Tony had this to say about his experience surviving cancer (via The Guardian):
“It hasn’t changed me at all. A lot of people say it changes the way you look at things, but I was one of the lucky ones; I got it nice and early. I had the choice of having chemotherapy or not and chose to have it. I wasn’t worried about it and things went relatively well. I’m someone who likes to look at things in a positive type of way. I was like that before, and it hasn’t changed things. I knew I’d play again; the question was whether I’d get back to my old level.”
Eric Shanteau. American Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau found out that he had testicular cancer in 2008 a few weeks before the Olympic Games. He put off surgery so he can participate in the Beijing Games thinking that it will be his last Olympic participation. He underwent surgery after the Olympics, is now cancer-free, and is reportedly looking forward to racing in the 2012 London Games.
He has joined Lance Armstrong’s advocacy according to an AP report which quotes him as saying:
“It took a little while to accept and fully embrace. It was really eye-opening to me to become an advocate in the cancer community. But with the help of all my family and Livestrong, they made it a good and easy transition for me. It’s something I’ve really embraced over the past couple of years. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop giving back from all the help I got in the summer of 2008. As long as there’s a fight, I’m going to be involved with it.”
Tom Green. American comic/actor Tom Green aka ex-Mr. Drew Barrymore was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2000. He was successfully treated of the disease. Making delicious lemonade out of lemons, the funnyman went on to write a book about his experience (Hollywood Causes Cancer: The Tom Green Story) as well as direct/produce a TV special on testicular cancer, The Tom Green Cancer Special, which got mostly positive reviews from critics.
Dan Abrams. Next in our list of Celebrities With Testicular Cancer is Dan Abrams. The American TV host and legal commentator reveals in the video below that he survived testicular cancer. What prompted him to “come out”? A report on sportscaster Sean Kimerling who died from testicular cancer.
Here’s Dan Abrams on Sean Kimerling and the disease that bonds them together (via MSNBC):
Ever since first reading about Sean’s story, I have felt a strange bond with this man I never met. I remember reading an article that said Sean told his father that if he survived he wanted to “give something back” by educating young men about the disease. Well he can’t, and so now, reluctantly, I will, by trying to help promote the foundation that his family has set up to educate young men about testicular cancer.
I am lucky. Not only did I survive, but now, it seems, I am cancer free and feeling as good as ever. Had Sean detected the disease earlier, he and I might have discussed our experiences in private. I hope that my willingness to go public can help other young men who, like Sean and me, never thought it could or would strike us.
Celebrities With Testicular Cancer. Posted 9 June 2012. Last updated: August 26, 2022 at 17:07 pm.