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Are you a Traveling Warrior? A Man of the Miles? A Lady of the Landings?

Do you have so many airlines miles that you could never end up using them all?

In short, you can help the Testicular Cancer Society get to where we need to be by donating your miles and enjoying a tax-deduction at the same time. Simply contact us and we will add you to our list. The next time we need to book a flight to a conference or speaking engagement we will simply send you an email to see if your offer still stands.

 

Here is how our TestiFLY Program works. We will use Delta Airlines as an example.

 

Airlines allow you to donate your unused miles to charity. Unfortunately, the airlines choose which charities are eligible to receive your donations. We think this is unfair.

 

Airlines also allow you to transfer your miles to another frequent flyer member but they charge you. Delta Airlines charges $0.01 per mile and a transaction fee. Thus, to transfer 30,000 miles to a member of the Testicular Cancer Society so that they can book a flight it will cost $300 to transfer the miles plus a $30 transaction fee. We think this is too expensive.

 

Now here is how the TestiFLY Program works. You simply contact the Testicular Cancer Society and let us know that you are interested in our TestiFLY Program and with which airline you have miles. When a member of the Testicular Cancer Society needs to book a flight to a conference, speaking engagement or awareness event, we will email you to see if your offer to help still stands. If it does, we simply give you our member’s information and flight details and ask that you book the flight via the airlines using your frequent flyer miles. It is that simple. We think this works.

 

Airlines allow you to use your frequent flyer miles to book flights even if you are not the person traveling. Thus, your miles can be used to book a flight for one of our members and ultimately benefit the Testicular Cancer Society. Now, you may want to consult a tax expert but since the miles do have a monetary value, easily estimated at $0.01/mile, by booking a flight you have made a donation in kind to the Testicular Cancer Society and that value should be tax deductible since we are a 501(c)3 organization.

 

Help us to keep educating men about testicular cancer by Joining our TestiFLY Program.

 

 

TWO DUDE’s Bar-B-Que is NUTS about BBQ!

Commemorative HOGS BALL T-Shirts

are now available for

Two Dude’s Bar-B-Que 2nd Annual HOGS BALL.

In The Big Lebowski The Dude abides but with Two Dude’s they arise to help raise awareness about testicular cancer. For every T-shirt sold the dudes are donating $2 to the Testicular Cancer Society. The shirts can be shipped to anywhere in the U.S. for $14.

To Order: Send Checks to:

Two Dudes BBQ

612 N 47

Warrenton, MO 63383

Be sure to include your return mailing address and sizes.

Now you can put a pig in a tuxedo but this ain’t that kind of Hog Ball. On September 21, 2011 the 2nd Annual “Hog Ball”!! will take place at Two Dude’s Bar-B-Que in Warrenton, MO.

There will be $1 Bud Lights all Day.

All You Can Eat starts at 4pm, includes:

Fried Fish!
Fried HOG NUTS!
Fried Frog Legs!
Hot Wings
BBQ Ribs

ALL YOU CAN EAT for only $10 so stop on down and have a BALL. Commemorative HOGS BALL shirts will be available at the event for $12.

If you want to thank Kevin and Brad, “The Dude’s” I suggest that you be sure to check out their Sales Shack and order yourself a bottle or two of their BBQ Sauce. Thanks again guys for supporting the Testicular Cancer Society.

As one of the 195,000 testicular cancer survivors in the U.S. I can tell you that testicular safety is of the utmost importance. When there is only one boy left you want to make sure he is protected.

That is why I am happy to announce that I am actively pursuing to have the Nutty Buddy go from the “Unofficial Official” to the “Official” Athletic Cup of the Testicular Cancer Society.

Trust me folks, this thing has revolutionized the athletic cup industry. If you need the ultimate protection for yourself or the little fellas in your family be sure to get them the Nutty Buddy. You can click on the links above or below to check out their website.

If you don’t believe that this is the best product out there then check out the video below.

In 2006, when I was first diagnosed with testicular cancer, I learned of Skate4Cancer (S4C). It was back when everyone was on Myspace and I was searching around looking for other people that mentioned being a testicular cancer survivor. I would try to strike up a friendship so that I could learn more about the disease and what to expect.

While searching around I ran into Skate4Cancer (dreamlovecure.org) and I was immediately attracted but it wasn’t just with their Myspace page. I began seeing S4C in other people’s Myspace names and immediately felt like I knew them. S4C was a young, positive voice in the fight against cancer. It was a gathering of people with similar experiences and desires and it was just what I had been looking for. S4C was one of the organizations that I learned from and wanted to emulate when forming the Testicular Cancer Society.

So why am I sharing all of this with you now?

I am excited to share that the Testicular Cancer Society has teamed up with Skate4Cancer as part of their “The Cure Is Knowledge” Check Your Balls Campaign. It excites me that almost 5 years from the day I first found S4C and found hope in their messages that I am now in The Cure Is Knowledge fight with them. The Check Your Balls Campaign is aimed to help educate young men on the importance of self-testicular exams as a way to help fight against testicular cancer. I was able to share my story on their campaign page as well.

With testicular cancer “The Cure Is Knowledge.” Testicular cancer has highly effective treatments yet there are still young men dying from the disease. The reason for this is the lack of knowledge. Too many young men don’t know that they are at risk for testicular cancer, they don’t know how to do or aren’t aware of the importance of self-testicular exams and if they do notice something wrong they don’t seek medical attention soon enough. These delays in diagnosis lead to more complicated treatments and even death.

More on Skate4Cancer

Skate4cancer is an organization founded on the importance of engaging youth in cancer prevention. The skateboard world raised them, so working at a street level is what they know and their grassroots approach reflects it. By spreading this excitement and contagious way of thinking through epic skate marathons around the world, S4C has nurtured a strong, supportive community which they are dedicated to expanding.

Armed with the understanding that 80% of cancers can be prevented with early detection and healthy lifestyles, their “The Cure is Knowledge” campaigns propose that the only cure currently available is knowledge. They aim to create a public awareness of these forms of cancer, emphasizing the importance of understanding our bodies and family histories.

By creating educational campaigns that are easy to understand, they hope to inspire youth to incorporate preventative methods into their busy lives. Their goal is to bring together a community in support of these movements that passes the knowledge on to others. By instilling positive habits in young people they can create a generation of people that are well informed on preventative healthy living and familiarity with their bodies.

Skate4Cancer was somewhat of a crazy dream of Rob Dyer’s and this year they celebrated their 8th anniversary. Check out their short-documentary about the last 8 years.

I had the pleasure of meeting some of the brothers from Alpha Gamma Sigma – Delta Chapter from Tennessee Tech University as they traveled through Cincinnati. They were on the way to visit some of their other chapters for Spring Break and wanted to personally drop off a check from their Putts For Nutts fundraiser benefiting the Testicular Cancer Society.

I’m still not sure where there trip took them or if they found their way back to Cookeville, TN but I am thankful for their efforts in supporting the TCS and raising awareness for testicular cancer.

Thanks guys and I look forward to your next event.

I love the shirt by the way!!

Since joining the crazy cancer community almost 5 years ago I have learned a few absolutes that exist with Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer.

1. Cancer really does suck.
2. You’re never too young to have cancer.
3. The earlier you are diagnosed the better.
4. We Need More Awareness!!!
   

I am excited to announce a new campaign to help with the awareness part: Down With The Cause

Down With The Cause is a non-profit organization helping spread awareness of ovarian & testicular cancer among college students by college students. This new and upcoming movement, started by Jon Lewchenko in the Chicagoland area, is sure to be a hit. Besides raising awareness of ovarian cancer and testicular cancer amongst college students, Down With The Cause will also aid the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and the Testicular Cancer Society.

We are excited to be working with Jon and co-promoting ovarian and testicular cancer awareness. There are approximately 22,000 cases of ovarian cancer per year and 1,100 of those cases occur in women younger than 35 years old. Testicular cancer is the number one cancer for males aged 15-35. It is time that we come together and make a stand for both causes together.

So get down with your bad self and get Down With The Cause.

Help spread the word, raise awareness and support a new cause.

The jury is still out as to the risk of testicular cancer caused by cell phones. Instead of jumping into this debate we would rather give you the answer to a different question:

Can cell phones help battle testicular cancer? YES!!

Testicular Cancer Checker, a new free application for iPhone and iPod touch users has been launched by PSJ  Investments Limited from the UK. This app allows you to schedule monthly reminders to conduct self-testicular exams. The user can set the date and time that is convenient for the monthly exam so that it isn’t missed. If someone isn’t sure how to do a self-testicular exam the app takes care of that as well. The app gives detailed instructions and guidance and most importantly reminds the user to see a doctor quickly if a lump is detected.

The Testicular Cancer Checker is available in the AppStore for FREE. Don’t just download the app but be sure to share it with other men. Not only does it serve as a reminder to conduct regular exams but it can also be used to educate other men on how exactly to conduct a self-testicular exam.

Using the app can help you and sharing the app could help save another man’s life.

Would you feel awkward telling another guy about the Testicular Cancer Checker?

Well, why don’t you have him ask you about it?

There is no better way to trigger a conversation about cell phones and testicular cancer than with a little ball swag.

Don’t just protect your iPhone (and balls) but make a statement with Phoneballs!! Yep, silicone iPhone protectors are now available that come with testicles dangling from them. Not only can you protect your phone and create conversation about testicles and testicular cancer but 10% of the proceeds are donated to the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation.

There you go, all the tools you need to use your phone to fight testicular cancer.

Now get out there and spread the word by talking balls!!!

Movember also featured a video contest called the MOscars and Team Juan Bahl had an entry for the contest. We didn’t win any awards or even an honorable mention but it may have been due to the timing of our entry and not the awesomeness of our video. It was a big undertaking in which we teamed with Ricardo Rueda Almanza to make the video. We are in the U.S. and Ricardo is in Mexico so from over 2000 miles away we came together to raise awareness for testicular cancer with The Joy of MO!

Enjoy!!!

Come join the Testicular Cancer Society on YouTube.

When facing off against testicular cancer one thing that may come across your mind are the financial difficulties associated with the battle. Questions start to build up. Am I going to be able to work? How am I going to pay for treatments? Am I going to be able to pay my other bills? How can I get help?

Our first suggestion to help with the financial struggles is to set up a page on GiveForward. GiveForward provides free fundraising pages that empower friends and family to raise money for loved ones’ medical expenses. The website has helped thousands of families to raise millions of dollars for things like chemotherapy, organ transplant and travel expenses.

To give you more insight into GiveForward we asked friend and GiveForward Co-Founder Ethan Austin if he could share a few words with us about their services.

Mike asked me to write a post about why setting up a GiveForward fundraising page for a friend or for yourself is a good idea.  Here are three good reasons!

Money: Each year cancer patients spend over $25 billion to pay for out-of-pocket costs like travel expenses and co-pays not covered by insurance.  The reality is that no matter how wealthy a person is or how good his insurance plan is, everyone can always use a little extra money when facing cancer.

Hope: We hear all the time from users that as important as the financial support is, the words of encouragment from friends and family is sometimes even more important. [note, click on the "donors" tab in the link above to see the words of encouragement].

Empowerment: Friends and family want to help, but most of the time they feel helpless if they don’t live near the person battling cancer.  By setting up a GiveForward page for a friend or for yourself you empower friends and family to actively participate in the recovery of someone they love.

Hope this helps!  If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Keep in mind that GiveForward isn’t just for cancer fighters but rather for anyone that needs some help with fundraising. Many times people will set up an account at a local bank to accept donations but these banks don’t accept credit/debit card transactions and many people just won’t take the time to write a check and mail it. GiveForward not only accepts debit/credit card donations but also the link to your fundraising page can easily be sent via email or posted on websites.

No. We are not saying that women get testicular Cancer.

What we are saying, is that women need to be aware of testicular cancer at least on an elementary level. Our Testicular Cancer 101 page has some basic information that all women should know because sometimes women are the ones who find their partner’s testicular cancer.

Today we are very happy to feature a story about a woman who went through testicular cancer with her boyfriend some years ago. With her permission we are posting her story, with names changed because the story is about an ex-boyfriend at this point. Her story provides some interesting insight into testicular cancer. Here is her story.

I can’t remember which one of us first found the lump. I was visiting my folks in Europe when he told me by phone that he had seen his doctor about it. However, his physician pooh-poohed it, saying that testicle size fluctuations were normal in young men. Kyle was 23, so of course we didn’t even think of cancer.

I didn’t see him for a couple months after that. On my next visit to see Kyle, during our (ahem) reunion, I was shocked by the difference between the two testicles. One was twice the size of the other. I could tell Kyle was really worried about it. When I asked him why he hadn’t gone to see the doctor again, I realized from his reaction that fear had set in. He was just avoiding it, hoping it would go away, and hadn’t told anyone about it since the doctor visit.

My reaction motivated him to go talk to his father, who, as a psychiatrist, also had a medical degree. His father immediately grasped the severity of the issue. Kyle was rushed to the doctor, and swiftly diagnosed with testicular cancer. An operating date was set for just five days away.

Now, Kyle has an identical twin brother, which means that their genetic stuff is the same. Upon examination, his brother was found to have testicular cancer as well.

Just for a minute, I want you to imagine two beautiful young men, identical in youth and verve, struggling through their last courses at University and just a few months from starting their careers. And then, poof! Cancer comes a-calling.

They were both operated upon, and in both cases it appeared the cancer had not had time to spread, though the medical team was much more confident about this in my boyfriend’s brother’s case. Kyle spent his summer getting radiation treatments.

The doctors asked Kyle if he wanted a prosthetic replacement for the removed testicle, but they accidentally matched it to the cancer-ridden one, so he was quite lopsided. This mistake became a kind of focal point for his rage and feelings of having been unmanned. He had always thought he didn’t want children, but now the prospect of infertility really upset him. The only thing that seemed to comfort Kyle was a Ben Wicks publication on cancer. It really helped him to be able to laugh about it.

I have seen many people go through sickness, before and after Kyle. I really find that it reveals a lot about a person. I also don’t think that, at 23, most people have the emotional skills necessary to deal with much, never mind cancer. Kyle took out his feelings entirely on me. On the phone with friends, he would laugh off his problems. With me, he became verbally abusive. There were days where I was called a “bitch” up to five times a day. He became physically rough, though he did never hit me. A few days after his radiation treatments ended, things had deteriorated so much that I broke up with him.

I have followed his career from afar, and I can tell you 12 years later, he is alive and has done well in his chosen field. I wonder what would have happened if he had never gotten cancer?

It is not unusual a women may be the first to find testicular cancer in their partner. If they notice any irregularities it is important they communicate with their partner. What is also important is that women keep on their partner until he sees a physician. Men seem to have an innate desire to avoid doctors at all costs. Many times we figure that whatever is bothering us will eventually go away. Unfortunately, testicular cancer doesn’t just go away. In fact, if caught early it is nearly 100% treatable. If caught in the later stages, after it has spread, it is a lot harder to treat and can lead to death.

Women also need to be able to identify common complaints men have that may be signs of testicular cancer and encourage their guys to go see the physician.

This is not a one-way street in identifying cancer in partners. Men are often the ones who find breast cancer in women. Our cancer survivor friend, Stefanie LaRue, told Self Magazine about her boyfriend finding her breast cancer in her story Living with Cancer – and Daring to Date Again.