Testicular Cancer Survivor
Cancer Didn’t Block This Player’s Goal
At 15, soccer phenom Ray Saari was diagnosed with Stage IIIB testicular cancer. Surrounded by a strong support system and motivated by his goal to become a pro soccer player, he got through treatment his way. Today, Ray is cancer-free and continues to live the dream he worked so hard to achieve.
At 15, soccer phenom Ray Saari was diagnosed with Stage IIIB testicular cancer. Surrounded by a strong support system and motivated by his goal to become a pro soccer player, he got through treatment his way. Today, Ray is cancer-free and continues to live the dream he worked so hard to achieve.
My whole world was centered on playing professional soccer. So when I was diagnosed with Stage IIIB testicular cancer as a high school sophomore, I stayed focused on my goal, viewing the treatment as a means to an end — getting back on the soccer field.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a big deal. One of my testicles was surgically removed. Then I had four months of chemotherapy in cycles of one week in the hospital and two weeks at home. But I didn’t dwell on it. I tried to keep my life as normal as possible, hanging out with my girlfriend, watching Major League Soccer (MLS) matches with friends and even sneaking out to play a little soccer, which was strictly forbidden. (Yes, I got caught. Thanks, social media.)
My family helped a lot by not talking about cancer all the time. My mom was in full “mom mode,” researching treatments and making sure I had everything I needed. But she also recognized I needed space. My dad traveled, but when he was home, we’d sit down and watch a match together. My little sister was always there with a hug.
One of my personal heroes, Lance Armstrong, inspired me through his book that detailed his experiences with testicular cancer. It became my guidebook; almost everything that happened to him happened to me. Reading about his Tour de France victories after his treatment encouraged me to stay fit so I could be even quicker back on the field.
When I returned to soccer cancer-free, I was laser-focused. I graduated from high school a semester early, earned a scholarship to play in college and now play in the men’s United Soccer League (USL).
Fortunately, my soccer club is really involved in the community. At least twice a week, my teammates and I visit sick kids in the hospital. Usually they don’t know I had cancer and may not even know I play soccer. They just like having someone to talk to or play games with.
Stay hopeful, that’s my advice. Find something that motivates you, and you can get through this. I’ll always believe that cancer matured me, but soccer saved me.
From One Patient To Another
These “cheats” are things I learned the hard way during inpatient treatment, and I hope they’ll help you.
- If you have a port, take a really good shower and wash your hair before you check in to the hospital. You may only get a sponge bath, which I wasn’t super comfortable with at 15. Needless to say, I did not smell great.
- Make your hospital room feel as comfortable and homey as you can.
- Bring your own pillow and blanket. It has your own scent, and that’s a nice break from the disinfectant smell in the hospital.
- Bring snacks. I wasn’t a fan of hospital food.
- Make a plan for every day. My best days were MLS game days. I’d ride the stationary bike in the morning, nap during chemotherapy then have my friends in to watch the match with me.
- Always keep a sucker or gummi bears handy to avoid the metal taste in your mouth that comes when your port is flushed.
- If you have a port and you don’t like needles, ask the nurses for numbing cream to put on your port site so you won’t feel anything at all, even if the area is really tender.
- Between the machines beeping and the nurses coming in to check on you, it’s hard to get good sleep. Having my mom rub my feet, which for some reason got really sore from chemotherapy, always helped me get back to sleep.
- If you have a hard time swallowing pills, have the nurse crush them up in a cup. Wash them down with a heavy soda. Root beer worked for me. I couldn’t even taste the pills.
- If you lose your hair, running a lint roller over your head will collect the loose hairs and keep your scalp from itching. Hair can grow back spotty. I used an over-the-counter treatment for baldness to stimulate my hair growth. It worked for my beard when I got a little older, too.
- When you get home, don’t overindulge. I hadn’t eaten much at the hospital, and my mom made my favorite meal. I ate way too much chicken parmesan with pasta and drank chocolate milk. I blew chunks an hour later. Trust me on this one. It happened with donuts, too.
