New England Patriots left tackle Nate Solder came forward today to say that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer before the 2014 NFL season. He underwent surgery and hopes that his story will help others since this month is National Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.
“I knew nothing about it. It was a complete surprise,” Solder told ESPN. “You Google something like that and it kind of scares you, so I was like, 'I'm not going to freak out about this.' Had I not had a routine physical, I probably wouldn't have checked it, saying, 'Oh, it's just in my head, I'm going to be fine.”
Solder was diagnosed in April 2014. His doctors removed one testicle and the cancer did not spread. According to Boston.com, he only missed offseason activities while he recorvered. He played in all 16 regular season games and in the postseason, including Super Bowl XLIX.
“I was completely healthy, I'm a professional athlete. It can happen to anybody,” Solder, 27, told ESPN. He urged everyone to get themselves checked out, especially young men.
Cancer.gov notes that testicular cancer is among the most common forms of cancers in young people. In 2011, there was an estimated 227,406 men in the U.S. living with testicular cancer.
for more sports news, follow Daniel on Twitter at @dsl89
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