Stepping up to
cancer
The Josh Carrick Foundation aims to fund research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer for the advancement of health and to also provide funds for technological advances in cancer research. The foundation also wishes to help raise awareness of testicular cancer.
Josh was a truly wonderful and popular person who made a lasting impression on all he met. He had the brightest smile, the biggest heart and the loudest voice! He approached everything he did with a positive attitude and strived to achieve the best he possibly could. He proved this by graduating from Nottingham University with a 2:1 in Computer Science and securing his dream job at IBM as a Technology Consultant in September 2010. It was later that month that Josh first complained of back pain and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. Sadly, after further investigation the diagnosis was changed to stage 3 testicular cancer. He spent the next year in and out of hospital having chemotherapy.
Despite being given the all clear, the cancer never fully went into remission and Josh underwent a higher dosage of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, which was harvested from his bone marrow.
Whilst his blood tests and tumour markers indicated that his treatment had been successful, in September 2011 we were called back to Mount Vernon to be told the cancer was back in Josh’s spine and brain. There was nothing more they could do to treat him. Josh sadly passed away on Monday 3rd October.
Throughout his treatment Josh showed such strength and courage, never once letting any of us think that this disease would beat him. He fought to the very end and it is this ethos that is the driving force behind The Josh Carrick Foundation.
We aim to become one of the leading contributors to testicular cancer research in the UK by injecting funding directly into some of the most promising fields of research whilst also helping to raise awareness of the disease.
Testicular Cancer
Whilst awareness of the symptoms of the disease has increased, men are still not taking proactive steps to protect themselves.
Your balls should feel smooth, firm and sensitive but not painful. If something doesn’t feel right, see a doctor.
Signs & Symptoms
> A lump or enlargement in either testicle
> A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
> A dull ache in the abdomen or groin
> Pain or discomfort in a testicle
> Enlargement of a testicle
> Back pain
> A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum
3 Simple steps to checking your balls:
1
Get steamy. A warm shower will put your balls in the mood
2
Roll one ball between thumb and fingers to check for lumps, swelling or pain
3
Repeat with the other ball
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