Lewis Gould was in his second year at university, balancing lectures, revision and rugby when he first noticed a dull ache in his left testicle. It was neither sharp nor constant, nor did it disrupt his daily activities, so he dismissed it.
'I just thought it would go away,' says Lewis, now 21. 'It wasn't bad enough to worry about.'
In December 2024, as the term drew to a close and Christmas approached, he continued as normal. Exams, training and social events took precedence, and the discomfort remained in the background.
It was his girlfriend who ultimately persuaded him to seek medical advice.
'She handed me my phone and told me to call the GP. That was the only reason I did anything about it,' he says.
At the appointment, the situation escalated rapidly.
'The doctor examined me and said he could feel a lump. I was taken aback. I'd never checked myself before and didn't even know it was there.'
Lewis, a University of Hull law student who played rugby, was referred for an ultrasound scan, followed by an oncology appointment the next day.
'That's when I first heard the word "cancer",' he says. 'At 20, it's not something you expect to hear.'
Doctors explained they could not confirm the diagnosis without surgery, as a biopsy was not feasible due to the lump's position. They recommended an orchiectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the testicle.
'That's when the penny dropped,' he says. 'A lot of thoughts were rushing through my head. I was asking lots of questions, like "can I still have kids?", "is it still going to work down there?", "What's it going to look like?"'
He inquired about alternative options, but there were none.
'So that was it, and I had my surgery booked in the same week.'
'Phoning my mum and telling her what was happening was the hardest part because she was very worried about me - especially as I was away from home.'
'I tried to be very calm about it and put on a brave face because I didn't want to worry anyone else.'
Lewis's mother travelled to Hull from their home in Northampton to be with him for the surgery on December 19, 2024.
'I was definitely a bit nervous because I didn't know how much it was going to hurt or how long the recovery would be,' he says.
'It only took about half an hour and I couldn't believe that I was sitting at home watching TV at the end of the day like nothing had happened.'
Lewis received a testicular prosthesis, a silicone or saline-filled implant that mimics the size and feel of a natural testicle.
In the short term, while recovering, Lewis had to stop playing rugby or going to the gym - something he admits was a challenge.
After spending two weeks recovering at his parents' home in Northampton, he returned to Hull for his oncology appointment.
That is when he was told he had stage 1 seminoma, the earliest form of testicular cancer.
Because the disease had been caught early, it had not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs, meaning he would not require any further treatment.
'When they told me it was cancer, I was obviously very nervous about what could come next,' he says.
'But at the same time, I was glad that they had removed the testicle and that, hopefully, the cancer was gone.'
'When I found out I didn't need any more treatment, my friends and I went for a big night out to celebrate.'
In the months since, he has returned to university life and attends regular check-ups.
'Things are pretty much back to normal now,' he says.
He is now an ambassador for The OddBalls Foundation, speaking to students about testicular cancer and the importance of checking for changes.
'I'd never checked myself before this,' he says. 'That's something I've definitely changed.'
Around 2,400 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer in the UK each year, according to Cancer Research UK. It is one of the most common cancers in younger men, particularly those aged 25 to 49.
Survival rates are high, with more than 90 per cent of patients living at least ten years after diagnosis, particularly when the disease is detected early.
Looking back, Lewis believes the outcome could have been very different.
'If I hadn't been pushed to get it checked, I probably would have left it much longer,' he says. 'By that point, it could have spread and needed more treatment.'
His advice is straightforward.
'Check yourself regularly. It takes seconds. If something doesn't feel right, get it looked at. Even if it turns out to be nothing, it's better to know.'
Symptoms of testicular cancer
Testicular cancer usually only affects one testicle but can affect both.
- A lump or swelling in your testicle
- Your testicle getting bigger
- An ache or pain in your testicle or scrotum
- Your scrotum feeling heavy, firm or hard
- An ache or pain in your back or lower tummy
- Losing weight without trying
- A cough
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- A sore or swollen chest
Source: NHS
