Kiama Relay for Life participant Jack O’Grady will share his experiences with testicular cancer and mental health during his role as guest speaker at this year’s event.
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The theme for the 2016 Relay is men’s health and cancer.
Mr O’Grady, 25, hopes that sharing his story will inspire other men to have open discussions about the impact of cancer upon mental health.
He believed young males needed to talk about cancer more often in order to create greater awareness.
“People don’t know much about it, and it came as such a shock to me,” he said.
“As a young person, when you think of cancer, you think of being older.”
Mr O’Grady was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2014, after experiencing strong pain during the night.
He was admitted to hospital that morning, and after several scans and tests, had his right testicle removed the next day.
After the surgery, he was given the difficult choice of having pre-emptive chemotherapy and having a 99 per cent chance of the cancer not returning, or undertake observation for five years, with a 75 per cent chance of the cancer not returning.
With the support of friends and family, Mr O’Grady decided to undergo chemotherapy, only to change his mind at the 11th hour after guidance from his doctor.
While the cancer has not returned, he began to suffer panic attacks and anxiety before his check-ups, with the strain beginning to affect his relationships.
Mr O’Grady began seeing a counsellor, and now feels more comfortable and in control.
Mr O’Grady formerly studied at the University of Wollongong, but now resides in Sydney.
He took part in Kiama Relay for Life for the first time last year, and said “it was heartbreaking yet inspiring to hear the stories of the brave survivors and their families, and it put my own experience in a lot of perspective”.
His team are again raising money for this year’s Relay, hoping to get more people involved.
The overnight event raises funds for Cancer Council NSW.
“It’s a great event especially when you can get a group of your friends together,” Mr O’Grady said.
“Listening to some of the speeches given is really quite affecting.
“Really sad, but engaging.”
Money raised from the Relay goes back into the community.
During the past year, more than 100 patients and carers from the Illawarra were transported by Cancer Council NSW to vital treatment and specialist appointments.
Cancer Council has also delivered nutrition workshops to more than 500 primary school parents in the Illawarra with their ‘Eat it to Beat it’ program, educating the community that one in three cancers are preventable by simply living cancer-smart lifestyles.
You can register for Kiama Relay For Life, which takes place on October 22-23 at the Kiama Leisure Centre Sports Fields via the relayforlife.org.au website.
