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THIS GUY HEARD THE WORDS-“WE CAUGHT IT EARLY” |
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Tuesday, 19 October 2010 00:44 |
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If you've had the opportunity to browse www.seankimerling.org (and we hope you have and will) you've probably clicked "About Us", and seen Letter From The President. That letter is from SKTCF Founder and Sean's father Noah. Noah concludes his letter:
Did you know almost every hour of every day one young man will be diagnosed with testicular cancer? He NEEDS to hear, "We caught it early."
Last time out we told you the story of New York Yankees prospect Colin Curtis. Colin was diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 15. (clearly the young end of the 15-40 group) Turns out Colin's case appeared just in time. Now 25, Colin's been cancer free for 10 years.
Now, another happy ending: one that points straight to the message of The Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation.
NFL fans will know the name Kevin Curtis (no relation to the Yankees' Colin)-a 7 year veteran wide receiver who spent the last three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles released Curtis after knee surgery limited his 2009 campaign.
What the general public didn't know until last week was that Curtis had a much greater health issue than rehabbing a knee injury. Just when Curtis felt his knee was 100%, he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous testicle on September 23rd.
The key to Kevin's case is this: Doctors have been monitoring the wideout's condition for THREE YEARS. No, you're not reading a misprint. Doctors first noticed an abnormality when Curtis went for a routine physical in 2007! Since cancer wasn't detected at the time, MD's decided to monitor Curtis' condition regularly. This past summer, tests revealed a good chance the testicle was cancerous.
No surprise: The football player in Curtis wanted to be on the gridiron as soon as possible. The free agent pass catcher was getting messages from friends, players and teams wondering if he had left football. But doctors told the former Utah State star surgery was the best option-because they had to be certain. A biopsy is impossible in that area of the body.
"I wanted to wait till after the season", Curtis told The Desert News, "But they thought it was too risky. I felt fine. Then when they told me what it was-like wow, cancer."
Barely three weeks after surgery, Kevin is working out and hoping that he may be able to join a team later this season. Curtis will undergo blood work every three months to ensure he is cancer free. For now, doctors are optimistic.
At age 32, Curtis may not get another chance in the NFL, but will be grateful if he gets one.
Whether you're a big time athlete or just a regular Joe, Kevin Curtis' story-and Noah Kimerling's zeal to fight testicular cancer-should remind you: Be a man-SELF EXAM-and see your doctor regularly or at the first sign of trouble. Catch testicular cancer early, and the disease has a survival rate of better than 95%. Kevin Curtis took his health seriously. Will YOU?
Bobby Taute joins seankimerling.org as a Contributing Blogger. Bobby spent 23 years at WPIX TV in New York, earning 4 Emmy Award nominations as a Sports Producer. In 2008 he created the station's sports blog, "Bobby vs. The World"-now known as "The Huddle." Like Sean a lifelong Mets fan, Bobby's media savvy and enthusiasm have proven invaluable to the success of the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation.
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