‘I’ve always been busy, but this process made me stop and restart’

“Busy and booked.” That’s how Lewis Walker used to live.

But when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 27, Lewis was forced to take some time out and reprioritise.

The pre-school worker was falling asleep one night when he felt a sharp pain in his testicle, which became constant in the coming days.

He contacted his doctor, who initially thought it was an infection and gave him antibiotics.

But when a bump at work left him in pain so intense he had to sit down for five minutes, Lewis knew something wasn’t right and went back to the GP.

The 29-year-old, from Kincorth in Aberdeen, said: “They examined me and noticed my testicle was a little large. They weren’t too concerned, but said they’d send me for an ultrasound just to be sure.

“The scan identified an abnormality in the testicle, and I was referred to urology, sent for blood tests and told they had a high suspicion it was testicular cancer.”

Lewis, who is one of 24 men selected to be part of Friends of Anchor’s Brave shows next month, admitted the news “absolutely floored him”.

He’s now urging young men to check themselves regularly and seek advice if anything seems unusual.

In late November 2022, just weeks after first going to the doctor, Lewis underwent surgery to have his testicle removed. Tests confirmed it was cancer, and five days before Christmas, doctors broke the news it had spread to his lungs. They advised he would need chemotherapy.

“I remember them telling me to forget about it and go and enjoy Christmas and new year,” he said. “It was a fairly quiet festive period – I just tried to get through the big family days and keep things happy and light, but inside I was pretty emotional.

“I had so many questions. Before all this, I’d barely been at the hospital. I guess it was a fear of the unknown.

“When I walked into the Anchor Unit for the first time I had no idea what to expect. But the nurse was absolutely brilliant – for the first while it was just me and her as it was an early appointment, and she patiently answered every question I had. That made me feel much better.”

For Lewis, having to take so much time out of his busy lifestyle was hard.

“I’ve always been booked and busy, but this experience has made me stop, restart and identify my priorities. Before my diagnosis I had a ‘just get on with it’ attitude and was highly independent, but I’ve now realised it’s OK to say you’re not OK,” he said.

To support Lewis as he takes to the Brave catwalk, visit justgiving. com/page/lewis-walker1707949401792

Lewis Walker was diagnosed with cancer at 27.