A man who is battling testicular cancer is urging others to check for lumps following a devastating diagnosis.
Tommy Dunn, 28, received the awful news after going to the doctors on discovering an agonising lump.
Now, the Middlesbrough man on his third and hopefully final round of chemotherapy is telling his story in a bid to raise awareness of testicular cancer, Teesside Live reports.
Having felt a pain and discovered a lump in one of his testicles Tommy, a mental health advocate, spoke to a GP who, although did not think it was cancerous, still referred him to an urgent scan - with a two-week wait.
However, due to the pain that Tommy was in, he was advised to go to A&E at James Cook University Hospital where he was able to push for a scan.
"The staff there pushed for it and they confirmed it was a testicular cancer diagnosis in October 2021," said Tommy. "I had the operation within two weeks which was a quick turnaround.
"I was a bit worried about the operation, having a testicle taken out is a scary thought - just as it would be for a woman to get a breast or ovary removed.
"Once the operation was done, that was pretty much a walk in the park and the recovery wasn't as traumatic as I expected it to be. Unfortunately my bloods showed that the cancer was still present."
At first it was unclear whether Tommy would need to follow up the operation with chemotherapy treatment as his bloods began to improve. On January 10, he received the all clear and celebrated with loved ones but just under two weeks later a scan revealed a lymph node had enlarged.
And in another 'brutal' twist, Tommy was then diagnosed with viral meningitis after falling ill and needed to spend a week in hospital. He said: "I was quite lucky that I hadn't had the chemo at that point because the meningitis they said was quite severe and potentially I could have been in a fatal situation. It was maybe luck that it was delayed.
"I started chemotherapy in March, I've just finished my second cycle and I've got one more to go and they're expecting then for it to be cured, hopefully."
Now, Tommy has a following of more than 2,000 on social media platform TikTok as he shares a video diary of his experiences through chemotherapy to support others who may find themselves in a similar situation. And he also wants to use his platform to raise awareness of just how important it is to check yourself for lumps.
"I didn't know anything about chemotherapy until this so I created the video diary to show people how I am functioning," said Tommy. "My chemo is quite intense but what I'm hoping to do is that anyone going through that process or worried about what that is going to be like, they can go on that video diary to alleviate those fears.
"There's a lot of natural anxiety around chemotherapy as it is a very intense thing. What I've learnt is that everyone's journey is unique - some people can have all the side effects, others will get ones you've not heard of.
"I've barely had any sickness it's just been fatigue. Now I think after two cycles I'm doing pretty well. I think with testicular cancer I've noticed there's a lot of men that don't check themselves.
"It's so easy to do. I want to say to all the men at the moment to check yourselves on the daily, it takes two seconds and if there is anything unusual, go to the doctors straight away.
"It's one of the most treatable cancers - there's over a 95% success rate. It's not the death sentence you think when you hear the word cancer.
"The operation itself is not that difficult or painful, it's not as daunting as you think. For me that was my biggest fear.
"They cut you open in your stomach, it's an easy process and the recovery is around four to six weeks. I had a common misconception when I first found out, I was worried I was going to be able to have kids when I first found out - that's not the case.
"They assume both testicles work fine, which will be the case unless you already have fertility issues, then your other testicle will still produce enough sperm to have kids."
Tommy, who has previously spoken to Teesside Live about his own mental health journey, has nothing but praise for the staff at A&E and Ward 14 who have supported him through his treatment. Now more than £500 has been raised by friends in his name to be donated to the ward.
And while the months since his diagnosis have been tough mentally and physically, Tommy says going through everything has also brought a lot of clarity. He said: "We worry so much about what we are going to do with our lives, what our bodies look like.
"We worry so much about little things and a lot of these things don't matter. It's a shame it does take something like this to realise that but at least I know when this is over I've got the opportunity to go and do whatever I want now in my life.
"I intend to live it. I intend to find my dream job, learn to drive finally and own my own home. It can put a lot of things in perspective and you appreciate the little things more. It's very cliché but your health is your prize possession.
"All of the lads have come together, some of them are doing fundraisers in my name. I have friends ringing me up all the time to check how I am.
"I think they're more aware of it now too and they're checking themselves. I think they were all shocked by it. You never think it's going to happen to you."
More than £500 has been raised to buy toiletries for ward 14 at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital. For those wishing to donate, they can do so here.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
