“I was in my mid-twenties when I lost my first testicle to cancer. I remember, before the surgery, a doctor asking me if I was going to want a prosthetic. I asked if they had anything in disco ball, or maybe magic 8-ball. You know, give it a shake and see the future. The truth is, I was in complete shock, and comedy was the only response I had left.
Comedy and stoicism. I worked my job as a bartender all through my recovery. I was still working when the cancer came back for the other testicle. After the second surgery, I decided it was also time to let the rest of my emotions out.
It flew against all my cultural programming. As a man in North America, I was taught that there were only two palatable emotions for me to show: happiness and anger. And, as a gay man from a conservative family at the time, I had this internalized homophobia that made me very cautious about showing any emotions at all. But in the aftermath of losing both my balls, I figured all bets were off.
Around this time, I learned about a testicular cancer survivor named Dan Schneiderman who was doing a one-man show at the Diesel Playhouse called My Left Nut. I went front row. It was almost a religious experience for me. I had never before that moment realized how much this community of other survivors was missing from my life. After the show, I waited to speak to Dan, and he introduced me to the founder of the Canadian Testicular Cancer Association, or TCTCA (now Testicular Cancer Canada).
I knew immediately that I had to get involved. That segued very quickly to me sitting on the TCTCA charity board, becoming their first national spokesperson, and then a founding steering committee member for a cancer advocacy conference called Health eMatters. I realized that, when I was going through my diagnoses, my surgeries, my chemotherapy, and my recovery, I’d had no context at all for what a really good support system looks like. I thought I was getting okay support, because I didn’t know it could be better. I hadn’t known how to find the community. And so, now, I’ve set out to make myself as findable as possible.
We, all of us, have only a finite amount of time on this world. That’s really clear me now. And this is what I want to do with mine.”
Peter will once again be speaking at, and co-hosting, Health eMatters in a few short weeks. This event, brought to you by Myeloma Canada, focuses on building a strong, national network of Canadian cancer advocates. Through hands-on workshops and inspiring keynote speaker presentations, the conference is always an invaluable opportunity to improve one's digital skills, broaden one's reach, and strengthen one's online voice.
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