A cancer diagnosis is always unexpected, but for “Flip or Flop’s” Tarek El Moussa, he learned just how necessary it is to be vigilant for signs of the disease. After his two separate bouts with cancer, the face of the hit HGTV show has inspired many people to get screened.
El Moussa, 38, discovered he had thyroid cancer in 2013, when an eagle-eyed viewer who happened to be a registered nurse emailed him about a lump she noticed on his throat. However, that wasn’t the only cancer battle he faced that year. While his thyroid cancer diagnosis was relatively public, he also was diagnosed with testicular cancer the same year just two months after his thyroid diagnosis, but kept it quiet. He eventually opened up about his diagnosis in 2017, when his step-father was diagnosed with the same disease.
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Cancer Survivors Spreading Awareness After Treatment
El Moussa isn’t the only man to feel embarrassed by his testicular cancer diagnosis, and it’s not uncommon for men to keep their disease quiet. However, bottling up emotions associated with the disease can make facing a diagnosis even more difficult, so it’s important to be open with how you’re coping during treatment.
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Testicular cancer survivor Mark Borja knows this feeling all too well, because when he was diagnosed he immediatelyT felt shame. Thankfully, Mark had an incredible support system surrounding him in Charlotte, North Carolina and they encouraged him throughout the process which uplifted his spirits. That made him think of the other men battling this disease who needed to feel supported, and that’s why he created Save A Nut a support group for men going through testicular cancer.
“When I looked it up, there’s literally no one in Charlotte, North Carolina doing anything regarding raising awareness for testicular cancer or anything like that,” Mark says. “I wanted to create this thing called Save a Nut. I wanted to make sure that other guys knew that they’re not alone for this, and also create a support group where guys can actually talk about their feelings.”
Survivor Mark Borja on why he created a support group for men battling testicular cancer
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