My Story
Personally, testicular cancer has hit close to home as I was diagnosed on November 4, 2015 as a healthy 23 year old with no history of significant health issues. My life changed that day and I spent the following months undergoing a wide variety of testing, surgery, and chemotherapy treatments. There was a brief period of time after the initial treatments where I was in remission but it didn’t last long as symptoms returned and it was learned after further testing that my cancer had returned and spread to the lymph nodes of my abdomen. The next step was to undergo a substantially more aggressive form of treatment known as high dose chemotherapy. This treatment was accompanied by stem cell transplants and required me to spend almost 3 months in the Health Sciences Center. After spending the better part of a year and a half battling cancer and recovering from treatments I can say that I have passed the magic 5 year mark and can say that I am cancer free.
I can’t say enough about everyone that was involved in my treatment process. The doctors, nurses, technologists and volunteers that I came into contact with helped me the entire way through my battle were nothing short of fantastic. After going through such an ordeal and receiving the top notch treatment that I received, I feel the need to do my part. I want to ensure that the exceptional treatment that was afforded to me by CancerCare Manitoba continues for anyone else that has the unfortunate need for it.
Testicular cancer is the most prevalent cancer found in young Canadian men aged 15-29. In most cases, the outcome for men with testicular cancer is positive if detected early.
The goal of the Tee Up Your Balls For Life golf tournament is to raise awareness, promote self checks and raise funds for treatment and research. All proceeds will be donated to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, 100% of which stays within the Province. Since our inaugural year in 2017 we have raised $58,856.00 for CancerCare.
Sincerely,
Mike Riffel