Father, 36, forced to have intimate area removed after discovering killer cancer - there was one subtle early sign

A father-of-one who survived 2 bouts of slayer cancer has urged men not to 'die of embarrassment' and question assistance for intimate problems.

Simon Dix, 42, a enactment idiosyncratic from Somerset, was deed with testicular crab successful July 2018, aged conscionable 36, aft spotting signs of swelling.

He initially recovered the symptom, medically known arsenic an enlarged testicle, 'difficult to speech about', but yet went to spot his GP.

After a circular of tests and referral to infirmary helium was diagnosed with the illness —which affects astir 2,400 men each year.

Doctors were forced to region some his testicles successful bid to springiness him the champion accidental of survival.

Prior to the operation, helium chose to person his sperm frozen — successful lawsuit helium decided helium wanted a household successful the future.

'It is decidedly worthy it,' helium said of the fertility-preservation treatment. 'It gives you that enactment and stops the crab limiting your beingness choices.

'You mightiness regret not doing it erstwhile your fertility is gone, and beingness is excessively abbreviated for regrets.'

The attraction worked and, wrong a fewer months of the surgery, helium was declared cancer-free.

Mr Dix tried to enactment the unwellness down him and yet met the pistillate who would go his beingness spouse astatine the extremity of 2018, nursery practitioner, Sarah, present 37.

But conscionable a fewer months aft gathering the idiosyncratic helium 'wanted to stock beingness and physique a household with', Mr Dix's crab returned.

During a regular humor trial arsenic portion of his oncology monitoring, doctors discovered signs that crab whitethorn beryllium circulating successful his blood.

An MRI scan was performed that yet confirmed his crab had returned successful his groin, and a people of chemotherapy was needed to destruct it.

The 2nd diagnosis was a 'real daze and travel down', helium said. 

'Sarah stood by maine done the crab – I gave her the enactment to locomotion distant and she wouldn't.

'She was my rock, supporting maine done the treatment. I didn't privation the crab to contradict maine immoderate accidental successful life.

'When you look thing life-threatening, you deliberation hard astir what you privation retired of beingness and it was to find idiosyncratic to stock beingness with to physique a household with – that became much applicable erstwhile I met Sarah.'

When his attraction finished, and helium was once-again declared escaped from disease, the mates decided to analyse the anticipation of starting a household utilizing the sperm helium had frozen the twelvemonth prior.

The brace yet began IVF treatment, which 'wasn't easy'.

'It's particularly difficult for women,' helium said. 'It tin beryllium precise invasive with each the injections and treatments, and determination are respective stages wherever it tin falter, but to marque it done that process heightened the happiness.'

The fertility attraction was a success, and connected October 14 2023, the mates welcomed their archetypal child, Finlay, into the world.

'He's our occurrence child,' said Mr Dix. 

'We didn't deliberation we would beryllium capable to person children. We were hoping for the champion but determination was ever a batch of uncertainty.

The time Finlay was calved was conscionable implicit joyousness and exhilaration. It was the happiest feeling, it’s the culmination of each our dreams coming true.

 'Without children determination would beryllium thing missing successful our lives, and truthful we are everlastingly grateful.'

Now, Mr Dix is encouraging different men to ticker retired for the aboriginal signs of testicular cancer, and question assistance quickly.

'At the start, I ever recovered it hard to speech astir it,' helium said. 'But the sooner you get checked retired the better.

'You don't privation to virtually dice from embarrassment, it's amended to header with the embarrassment than footwear yourself if you permission it excessively precocious and springiness yourself little of a accidental of surviving.

'Basically, get implicit yourself.'

Testicular crab usually affects conscionable 1 testicle, but it is imaginable for tumours to turn successful both.

The astir communal symptoms see a lump oregon swelling successful the testicle, an ache oregon symptom successful the genitals oregon little tummy and the testicle expanding successful size.

Some patients consciousness the scrotum feeling heavy, steadfast oregon hard, according to the NHS.

More than 9 successful 10 men successful England diagnosed with the illness betwixt 15 and 54 years-old volition unrecorded for astatine slightest a decade.