July 31st, 2020, a day after my 34th birthday I found a lump during a shower that didn’t seem to be there before, I didn’t have a Primary Care Doctor at the time so I panicked and found the first that was in my insurance network that was accepting patients and that could get me in soon.
Two weeks later I was seen and told it was probably normal but an ultrasound was ordered to check on it. The ultrasound showed several abnormalities including suspected testicular lesions in the left testicle among a cyst and hydrocele on the right. The left one was the more concerning obviously and an immediate referral to urology was made. I quickly got in with a Dr. at the Clinic (at the time) and he told me the only way to know if it was cancerous as suspected was to remove it.
A week later and my first surgery was done, only a couple hours and with no complications the testicle was removed and I went on my way to recovery. As fires raged across the Willamette Valley I stayed home in Lebanon Oregon and quickly returned to my remote work. A week after surgery it was confirmed to be cancer (Non-seminomatous germ cell neoplasm of testis (Embryonic Carcinoma) specifically.
I took the news in stride, asked what was next and did some blood work and a CT Scan to see if there was any suspected spread as it looked to have vascular invasion. All of this looked clean and I thought I was in the clear to go straight into the surveillance. I was incorrect at my October 1st appointment I was given the options of RPLND (retroperitoneal lymph node dissection) or 3X BEP Chemo, there was the possibility that both would be needed but after discussion with several oncologists and experts it was a toss up which to do.
I choose RPLND due to it being more complicated if you do Chemo prior to RPLND. I was scheduled for an early November surgery in which I had no idea what any of that meant. In good spirits I went to OHSU for the surgery which took 9 hours even under robotic assistance and removed 23 lymph nodes, the biggest of which was .1 cm under the 3 cm limit for further treatment. They all passed Pathology testing and no further treatment was necessary.
I spent a week in the hospital recovering and 5 additional weeks before I got to pick up my daughter again on Christmas day. I was to follow a typical surveillance period of blood work every 3 months and scans every 6 months, but my Appendix had a different idea.
In Feburary of 2021 I was unable to eat and in immense pain so I went to Urgent care and due to my history transferred to the ER. After another CT Scan it was found that it was appendicitis and I underwent my 3rd surgery in 5 months. Since then, all my scans have been clean and I was deemed cancer free after 4 years in April 2024.
While I have dealt with some intense pain and abnormalities to this date, I haven’t found a recurrence of the cancer I am currently undergoing testing to find the root cause of these symptoms. I spend my free time golfing, cheering on the Beavs and Mariners helping with our family farm.
I do my advocating for Cancer patients thru my own non-profit Coffees for Cancer and supporting several others including Testicular Cancer Foundation, Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation, Expect Miracles Foundation, Stupid Cancer and Kickin Cancer.
I share my story often to help raise awareness that it can happen to anyone at anytime.
Nate Edwards Age Now: 39 Age at Diagnosis: 34 Initial Diagnosis: Non-seminomatous germ cell neoplasm of testis (Embryonic Carcinoma)