Joshua Robson (pictured) was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May 2021, but first noticed his only symptoms eight months prior. He eventually decided to visit his local GP when the lump started to hurt - but at the time he still 'wasn't worried'

A fitness fanatic tradie diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 28 has urged all young men to see their doctor – and revealed the warning sign he ignored. 

Civil construction worker Josh Robson, from Melbourne, didn’t see his GP for eight months after finding a small lump on his right testicle two years ago. He thought it was nothing to worry about. 

Josh eventually booked an appointment when the lump became painful – but said he still ‘wasn’t worried’.

‘At first I thought it would go away, but I had a lack of education and thought I was invincible,’ the now 30-year-old told FEMAIL.

Within weeks he was given the devastating diagnosis over Zoom by an oncologist, which sent him into a ‘panic’.

Joshua Robson (pictured) was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May 2021, but first noticed his only symptoms eight months prior. He eventually decided to visit his local GP when the lump started to hurt - but at the time he still 'wasn't worried'

Joshua Robson (pictured) was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May 2021, but first noticed his only symptoms eight months prior. He eventually decided to visit his local GP when the lump started to hurt – but at the time he still ‘wasn’t worried’

'At first I thought it would go away, but I had a lack of education and thought I was invincible,' Josh, 30, told FEMAIL

‘At first I thought it would go away, but I had a lack of education and thought I was invincible,’ Josh, 30, told FEMAIL

Within weeks he was told the devastating prognosis over Zoom by an oncologist, which sent Josh into a 'panic'. Josh said the lump was his only symptom and has no other history of cancer that he is aware of

Within weeks he was told the devastating prognosis over Zoom by an oncologist, which sent Josh into a ‘panic’. Josh said the lump was his only symptom and has no other history of cancer that he is aware of

Josh was sent to a specialist for an ultrasound who said he shouldn’t attend work the next day.

At that stage doctors assumed the lump was cancerous and the testicle needed to be removed immediately.

‘That’s when I started to question how bad this could be,’ Josh said.

Two weeks after recovering from surgery, the oncologist told Josh and his fiancé on Zoom the lump was confirmed to be cancer and it had spread.

Testing also confirmed Josh had a tennis ball-sized lump growing in his stomach and minuscule lumps in his lymph nodes.

Josh's right testicle was removed after noticing a lump and two weeks later the lump was confirmed cancerous. Testicular cancer is the second most common cancer in men aged between 20 and 39, with the chance of surviving the five years being 97 per cent

Josh’s right testicle was removed after noticing a lump and two weeks later the lump was confirmed cancerous. Testicular cancer is the second most common cancer in men aged between 20 and 39, with the chance of surviving the five years being 97 per cent

Testicular cancer is the second most common cancer in men aged between 20 and 39, with the chance of surviving the first five years being 97 per cent.

This type of cancer usually causes no symptoms, but sometimes a painless swelling or lump may present itself on the testicle.

‘I went to the doctor because I was experiencing bowel issues and stomach aches, but even after a colonoscopy and blood tests nothing was found,’ Josh said.

‘It’s so scary because not even some blood tests can pick up cancer sometimes – all my tests came back clear.’

Testing also confirmed Josh had a tennis ball-sized lump growing in his stomach and minuscule lumps in his lymph nodes as the cancer had spread

Testing also confirmed Josh had a tennis ball-sized lump growing in his stomach and minuscule lumps in his lymph nodes as the cancer had spread 

This type of cancer usually causes no symptoms, but sometimes a painless swelling or lump may present itself on the testicle

This type of cancer usually causes no symptoms, but sometimes a painless swelling or lump may present itself on the testicle

Before starting chemotherapy Josh needed to decide which type of drug he was comfortable with – one that would likely scar his lungs and make it harder to breathe while exercising, or another type that would require an extra 35-40 hours of treatment.

Josh said he enjoys training for and completing in triathlons, which require participants to be at a high fitness level to be able to run, swim and cycle hundreds of kilometres.

He chose the second option and endured more chemotherapy because he ‘wouldn’t be able to cope’ if his lungs were damaged.

‘Triathlons are great for my mental and physical health, and I think it would affect me in a negative way if I couldn’t complete anymore,’ he said.

Before started chemotherapy two weeks later Josh needed to decide which type of drug he was comfortable with - a type that would likely scar his lungs and make it harder to breathe while exercising, or another type that would require an extra 35-40 hours of treatment (pictured, Josh on left with brother)

Before started chemotherapy two weeks later Josh needed to decide which type of drug he was comfortable with – a type that would likely scar his lungs and make it harder to breathe while exercising, or another type that would require an extra 35-40 hours of treatment (pictured, Josh on left with brother)

Josh endured four cycles of chemotherapy over 12 weeks and luckily had few side effects. He also didn’t need any radiotherapy.

He is now in remission but needs to have check ups every three months. The lump in his stomach is now the size of a marble, but there are no signs of cancer elsewhere.  

‘I did have some bad days when I questioned if the treatment would kill the cancer but I also tried to stay as positive as I could,’ he said.

‘On days when I had chemo I would be in the hospital for up to 10 hours a day, five days a week and wasn’t working during that time.

‘I’m a very active person and felt like I was a prisoner in my own body. I started to appreciate normality and would watch people working from the hospital window.

Throughout treatment he made a pact with himself he would keep training as much as he could, and he kept that promise by never missing a training session besides the last two days of chemo

Throughout treatment he made a pact with himself he would keep training as much as he could, and he kept that promise by never missing a training session besides the last two days of chemo

‘Life felt like it was at a complete stand still, and now I have an appreciation for normality.’  

Throughout treatment he ‘made a pact’ with himself that he would keep training as much as he could – and he kept that promise by never missing a training session besides the last two days of chemo.

After treatment Josh and his brother completed a triathlon involving a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2 run.

And after treatment Josh and his brother completed a triathlon involving a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2 run

And after treatment Josh and his brother completed a triathlon involving a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2 run

‘My brother said if I trained all through chemo he would sign up for the Iron Man triathlon, which he did when I finished out in June 13, 2022,’ he said.

‘We really motivated each other and wanted to turn a major adversity into something great.’

About 1500 people competed in the Iron Man challenge this year and Josh was able to watch his brother cross the finish line after he completed the challenge himself.

‘It was a very emotional moment for me and was one of the most special things I’ve ever seen – all our friends and family were there cheering us on,’ he said.

Testicular cancer symptoms

Testicular cancer may cause no symptoms. The most common symptom is a painless swelling or a lump in a testicle or a change in size or shape

Less common symptoms include:

  • feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
  • feeling of unevenness
  • pain or ache in the lower abdomen, the testicle or scrotum
  • back pain
  • enlargement or tenderness of the breast tissue (due to hormones created by cancer cells)

If found early, testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers.

Source: cancer.org.au

The experience had given Josh a new appreciation for life and to appreciate the important things – such as family, friends, doing what you enjoy and prioritising your health. 

‘Life can change in an instant, so appreciate every day and take care of your health,’ he said. 

He encourages others to appreciate being able to walk, work, laugh and enjoy life, and to visit your doctor as needed if anything about your body changes. 

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