I Beat Cancer; Cancer Beat Wallet
Donation protected
So now I totally understand why Walter White decided he needed to cook meth in order to pay for his cancer treatment... (Breaking Bad is a phenomenally well done tv series, and you should go watch it post-haste if you haven't!) Granted, my cancer was much less severe than his, and I'm not having to undergo chemo or radiation (whew).
(WAIT WTF BLAKE, YOU HAD CANCER?! lol yes, full story at the end)
That being said, even the "best kind of cancer" you can get (a la yours truly) is hella expensive. Y'all, I just tallied up my medical bills from the past month, and I owe just over THREE THOUSAND DOLL HAIRS (dollars, actually - doll hairs, while harder to count, would be much more affordable).
I held off on creating a GoFundMe as long as I could, because I feel super weird about putting myself out there asking for money. I firmly believe that I should be able to handle this myself... but I've come to the stark realization that I simply can't.
If you decide to toss a couple bucks my way, I'd ask that you don't do it anonymously, as I'd like to write you a super sappy and effusive thank you note (so get excited for that).
If you decide that you feel weird about me asking for money, HAHA I FEEL U BRUH - JOIN THE CLUB! LET'S GO GET A DRINK SOMETIME!
Srsly tho, thanks for supporting me enough to even read this far. If all you do now is roll your eyes and close the tab, I respect that.
Love,
Me
---
For those of you who haven't heard the v exciting news, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in late April. I've never been good about doing the whole "testicular exam" that you're supposed to do regularly, because, like, I'm not gonna get cancer... duh.
But some time in early April, I realized that my left testicle felt like a rock, rather than... a ball. So I made an appointment with my GP, who sent me to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech's demeanor completely changed when she switched from my right testicle to my left, confirming what I pretty much already knew (haha thanks, Dr. Google).
That was on a Friday. Monday morning, I get a call from my doctor's office. The results are in, and I need to come in to discuss them. Good news is "voicemail" news. Bad news is "leave work early and drive across town to your doc's office" news. My GP was out that day, so someone I'd never met had to tell me I had cancer. Honestly, it was kinda funny. I already knew, right? But this poor nurse practitioner was trying to break the news so delicately, and he was concerned that I wasn't understanding because I seemed so unfazed.
I was referred to a (fantastic) urologist, who I met with Tuesday morning. He dropped the bomb that this type of tumor can double in size within only ten days. Needless to say, my plea to schedule surgery the following week so that I could fly to DC that weekend like I'd planned was denied. "It needs to come out now." Not really something anyone wants to hear about his entire left testicle.
So on Wednesday morning I had a CT scan and a ton of blood drawn, then I had surgery that afternoon. Thank goodness the incision is in my lower abdomen and not on my balls (ball? ugh, testicle terminology is hard now. "please don't hit me in the... ball" ???). I feel like that would be so much more painful than this already was.
After about a month of recovery (which included taking a hiatus from going to the gym and eating a ton of gourmet chocolate, courtesy of the best friends ever), I'm close to 100% again. And my #dadbod is absolutely thriving.
There is a 15% chance that this cancer could return. My oncologist and urologist feel confident that if it were to return, it'd show up in my abdomen or stomach somewhere and would be easy to take care of. I went for a PET scan last week, and I am in the clear! I'll have follow-up scans every six months for the next two years, then annually for two years after that.
I cannot stress to you enough: FEEL YOUR BALLS. Make everyone you know and love (or even hate... damn, nobody wants cancer) FEEL THEIR BALLS. If one of them feels wonky, tell your doctor ASAP. Because, remember, tumors can double in size in ten days. Testicular cancer is most common in men ages 18-35.
You never think it'll happen to you, until it does.
Peace. And #FeelYourBalls.
(WAIT WTF BLAKE, YOU HAD CANCER?! lol yes, full story at the end)
That being said, even the "best kind of cancer" you can get (a la yours truly) is hella expensive. Y'all, I just tallied up my medical bills from the past month, and I owe just over THREE THOUSAND DOLL HAIRS (dollars, actually - doll hairs, while harder to count, would be much more affordable).
I held off on creating a GoFundMe as long as I could, because I feel super weird about putting myself out there asking for money. I firmly believe that I should be able to handle this myself... but I've come to the stark realization that I simply can't.
If you decide to toss a couple bucks my way, I'd ask that you don't do it anonymously, as I'd like to write you a super sappy and effusive thank you note (so get excited for that).
If you decide that you feel weird about me asking for money, HAHA I FEEL U BRUH - JOIN THE CLUB! LET'S GO GET A DRINK SOMETIME!
Srsly tho, thanks for supporting me enough to even read this far. If all you do now is roll your eyes and close the tab, I respect that.
Love,
Me
---
For those of you who haven't heard the v exciting news, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in late April. I've never been good about doing the whole "testicular exam" that you're supposed to do regularly, because, like, I'm not gonna get cancer... duh.
But some time in early April, I realized that my left testicle felt like a rock, rather than... a ball. So I made an appointment with my GP, who sent me to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech's demeanor completely changed when she switched from my right testicle to my left, confirming what I pretty much already knew (haha thanks, Dr. Google).
That was on a Friday. Monday morning, I get a call from my doctor's office. The results are in, and I need to come in to discuss them. Good news is "voicemail" news. Bad news is "leave work early and drive across town to your doc's office" news. My GP was out that day, so someone I'd never met had to tell me I had cancer. Honestly, it was kinda funny. I already knew, right? But this poor nurse practitioner was trying to break the news so delicately, and he was concerned that I wasn't understanding because I seemed so unfazed.
I was referred to a (fantastic) urologist, who I met with Tuesday morning. He dropped the bomb that this type of tumor can double in size within only ten days. Needless to say, my plea to schedule surgery the following week so that I could fly to DC that weekend like I'd planned was denied. "It needs to come out now." Not really something anyone wants to hear about his entire left testicle.
So on Wednesday morning I had a CT scan and a ton of blood drawn, then I had surgery that afternoon. Thank goodness the incision is in my lower abdomen and not on my balls (ball? ugh, testicle terminology is hard now. "please don't hit me in the... ball" ???). I feel like that would be so much more painful than this already was.
After about a month of recovery (which included taking a hiatus from going to the gym and eating a ton of gourmet chocolate, courtesy of the best friends ever), I'm close to 100% again. And my #dadbod is absolutely thriving.
There is a 15% chance that this cancer could return. My oncologist and urologist feel confident that if it were to return, it'd show up in my abdomen or stomach somewhere and would be easy to take care of. I went for a PET scan last week, and I am in the clear! I'll have follow-up scans every six months for the next two years, then annually for two years after that.
I cannot stress to you enough: FEEL YOUR BALLS. Make everyone you know and love (or even hate... damn, nobody wants cancer) FEEL THEIR BALLS. If one of them feels wonky, tell your doctor ASAP. Because, remember, tumors can double in size in ten days. Testicular cancer is most common in men ages 18-35.
You never think it'll happen to you, until it does.
Peace. And #FeelYourBalls.
Organizer
Blake Watson Dailey
Organizer
Mobile, AL