I’m sure you remember (mainly because we haven't stopped talking about it) our amazing team member, Josh Bates, being awarded Pest Controller of the Year at the recent National Pest Awards. What makes Josh’s achievement even more impressive is the very tough period he went through from July to September 2023.
Having previously done Movember and being very open about his cancer journey, Josh is someone who we can all take inspiration from. In his words, it would be a ‘disservice’ if he didn’t share what he went through last year, not only to raise awareness but to also help so many people who can resonate with his story as it’s an unfortunate truth that cancer touches so many of our lives.
To begin his story, Josh takes us back to July 2023 when he noticed a small lump on his left testicle “doing the whole man thing about it, I thought that it would decide to go away by itself. It didn’t.”. After making the decision to visit his GP, Josh had to then go through an array of different doctors feeling his balls, an ultrasound and blood tests to decipher the cause of the suspicious lump. It was at this point he was given a printout containing details about a radical orchiectomy, which meant the removal of his testicle. “Armed with this knowledge and printout, I went back out to Sarah (his partner) and, not for the first time in this saga, was I completely useless in telling her about my emotions and what on earth they had just told me. Props to Sarah for still being here!”.
On Tuesday morning at 7:30 (within 2 weeks of visiting his GP) with his resilience and sense of humour still intact, Josh was put to sleep to undergo surgery. “I woke up at midday, I no longer had a left bollock. But I did have some rather fetching surgical stockings and a scrotal support to make sure the other one didn’t fall off (this might not be 100% accurate). I also had a cool scar around my groin area. I don’t actually suggest you google the surgery, but if your curiosity is morbid….(My Dad assumed it would be done the way he has seen it on Yorkshire Vet…)”.
3 days later Josh was in for a CT scan at Purley Memorial Hospital “shout out to these guys too cause they were good with me whilst I struggled to get on the scanner bed (still a bit tender from losing leftie and the still young scar not helping the cause) – and also to Sarah for just ensuring I didn’t pass out while trying to adjust myself for the scanner”. A couple of weeks later, he had a review of his wound which was healing well which is when he had confirmation that his left testicle had a seminoma (a slow-growing form of testicular cancer). Finally, he visited the Oak Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden where more bloods were taken and he was given the all clear - “Not that I’d wish it on anyone, but if you’ve got to have some treatment for the C then this place (The Royal Marsden) is nice, new and efficient”.
Luckily, Josh didn’t have to undergo chemo but he does have to have regular blood tests and scans for the next few years. Josh described his experiences as “a whirlwind. NHS are legendary, Sarah is legendary, family are legendary and friends who I have bothered to let know before this are also legendary. If you have bothered to read this you’re probably legendary too”.
When asked what the most important thing he has taken from this, his response was “to remember to check yourself and catch things early when you can. Go to the bloody GP. Whilst this has all been quite a terrible time, had I buried my head in the sand it could have been a lot worse, and I’m thankful for the speedy response of the NHS to take it out as quickly as they did, and this hopefully being the worst of it for me”.
Fast forward a year, and Josh is proudly walking up to the podium at the National Pest Awards to collect the Pest Controller of the Year Award. Josh is an incredible example of what resilience, determination and hard work is. As he brought his story to a close, he wanted people to know to “talk more, especially to your partners…And your friends. And your family”. By following Josh's lead of being open and honest, many of these horrible diseases can be caught earlier. For any more information or helpful resources visit the websites below.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/testicular-cancer/living-with/resources-support
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/testicular-cancer
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/testicular-cancer
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/testicular-cancer/help-and-support/