Give ‘em something to talk about: Craig’s testicular cancer story

Craig Jermyn–father, entrepreneur, coach and Movember team captain–had just finished shaving down for Movember 2022 when he noticed something didn’t feel quite right with his testicle.

Flash back nearly a decade prior, when Craig had noticed a testicular irregularity, had gone through doctor visits, tests, and scans only to find that what he had been feeling was the result of a lifetime of brotherly rough-housing and countless hours spent on the hockey rink–not cancer, like Dr. Google had led him to believe.

But as his 10th Movember began, Craig was not only experiencing irregular testicular discomfort, but inexplicable exhaustion.

As a 10-year Mo Bro – someone who’s gone through 10 testicular cancer awareness months, read all the emails, participated in all the health talks and paid many visits to Nuts & Bolts – he wasn’t feeling so worried. Especially since he’d been down this road before and things had turned out to be uneventful. But, Craig’s the kind of guy who walks the Movember walk just as much as he talks the talk, and decided to call up a friend in healthcare, who encouraged him to go get it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry.

Craig went to the local urgent care centre, explaining the discomfort he was feeling, and undergoing an ultrasound. He figured he was just doing his due diligence, so wasn’t expecting to hear what he heard next: that a malignant testicular tumour had been detected.

The diagnosis was a whirlwind–from waking up without cancer to being scheduled for surgery days later. It was a lot to take in in such a short time, so Craig reached out to Movember Canada Country Director, Todd Minerson, who helped connect Craig to a Nuts & Bolts guide, Darren.

Phone conversations with Darren and the rallying show of support and love from the community helped Craig through that whirlwind. "I felt like I had someone in my corner who had been there."

Now, Craig’s sharing his story hoping that guys will start talking about their health and go to the doctor if something doesn’t feel normal. "There is just too much on the line to sit around and worry!"

Learn more about testicular cancer and how to know what’s normal at movember.com/KnowThyNuts.