Josh Cooper

"Hey guys!  My name is Josh Cooper, I am a stage 2a Pure Seminoma Testicular cancer survivor.  I was diagnosed in October of 2012, originally stage 1b.  At the time, I was a healthy and happy 24 year old, and thought nothing could go wrong.  One day, I noticed my left testicle just felt off.  It felt hard, but I didn't find a lump.  As the days went on, I searched webmd, and started to worry.  With no health insurance, I went to my local urgent care.  They originally thought it was an infection, but a few weeks later we did an ultrasound.  That day, I got the call the changed my life.  I remember sitting in my car, my world crashing around me, when I heard the words "Mr. Cooper, there is a very good chance that you have testicular cancer."  

After that day, it was a whirlwind of appointments with financial advisors and urologist appointments.  On October 10, my surgery was done and confirmed as testicular cancer.  My post operation CT scans revealed that it had spread into my abdominal lymph nodes, and it was recommended that I do radiation therapy.  The treatments were tough, but I am so very lucky that I caught it early.  I was blown away that I didn't know anything about testicular cancer before this, and was in shock as to what could have been, had I not caught it early.  I knew that I had to get involved, in whatever capacity I could, to help fight this disease. 

Since I have completed my treatments, life has gotten back to normal, or you can say the new normal, for me.  I have been volunteering with TCAF since 2013, working across the country at music festivals, including Van's Warped Tour and Riot Fest, educating others and stressing the importance of early detection.  I am just 5 months away from my Five year mark this year, and couldn't be more excited.  As any of our ambassadors can attest, cancer has changed me.  It has changed the way I view life, how I prioritize, and how I view my health.  I feel it extremely important to continue raising awareness and informing others about this disease, and Im so thankful that TCAF has provided me the opportunity to do so.  I look forward to meeting all of you.

Josh Cooper
TC Survivor