Young Marine from Olathe, Kansas died undetected from testicular cancer

This story is heartbreaking, and our deepest condolences go out to Gabriel's family. Gabriel Puchalla was an 18-year-old Marine who passed away last month (April 2023) due to testicular cancer. He had come home for the holidays complaining of back pain but him and his family didn't think much of it. "This is a Marine. He's used to carrying 150-pound sea bags front and back and sleeping on barrack bunks so it's not comfortable, right, of course your back is going to hurt. So, I just passed it off," Dana Puchalla said, Gabriel's mom.

If testicular cancer is caught early through self-exams then is has a 98% survival rate. This is a main focus of Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation which is to encourage early detection through monthly self-exams as well as remove the stigma associated with testicular cancer. Gaberial's mom feels the same way.

"Things like breast cancer are so openly discussed, we even have pink nights in our athletics. Why not talk about this too? Why not bring awareness to something that's curable if we catch it in time. If one persona catches it early and it saves their life, then Gabriel's death isn't in vain because as a Mom, I never thought I'd bury my son and it's the worst pain I've ever felt. I never want another person to bury their young son," said Puchalla.

Three months later, Gabriel collapsed and died in his barracks at Camp LeJeune. About a week or so before, he was suffering from severe abdominal pain. 

The autopsy showed that Gabriel had aggressive tumors throughout his body that had originally began with testicular cancer, which is the leading cancer in men, ages 15-44. Testicular cancer usually shows up as a lump in one of the testicles and it may or may not be painful and can be associated with back and abdominal pain and tenderness in the nipples. To learn more about the statistics and risk factors visit: Statistics & Risk Factors for Testicular Cancer — Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation