When I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 30 it was taboo to talk about genitals

Des Redmond was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1981, when it was taboo to talk about genitals

Fri, 17 Apr, 2026 - 11:45

Deirdre McArdle

Des Redmond was 30 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Now, 45 years later, he’s an advocate for cancer awareness and self-checking.

Redmond, his wife, Mary, and their three-year-old daughter were based in Saudi Arabia in 1981, where Redmond was part of a management team setting up a ferry company.

The couple, originally from Dublin, had previously experienced fertility issues and had adopted their daughter in Ireland.

As they sought to expand their family, they planned to start fertility treatment, which, for Redmond, meant medication to “improve my sperm count”. Tests revealed it was low. On a short trip home to Ireland in March 1981, Redmond attended a consultant for a check-up as part of this planned treatment.

“I went to the consultant with my wife. He examined me and said he wanted to operate on me the following day; he had found a lump on one of my testicles.”

Although Redmond had noticed one of his testicles was enlarged, he says, “for some reason I had put it down to playing rugby, and perhaps getting an injury”.

For the couple, the news was a huge shock, but “we had so little time to think about it, with the operation happening the next day.”

During the surgery, one of Redmond’s testicles was removed.

“I was always so proud of my big testicles,” he said. “But ego and dignity had to go out the window, really; getting it sorted out was more important.”

The standard treatment for testicular cancer is the removal of the testicle, says Paul Hegarty, urologic surgeon, Mater Private Cork. “It’s called an orchidectomy, and, by and large, the testicle and the cord are taken out. Patients have an option to get a testicular prosthesis, where a soft silicone prosthesis is inserted during surgery.

“This can help some patients psychologically to deal with the removal of a testicle, and we typically see about 50% choosing to get it.”

If the cancer has spread beyond the testicle, chemotherapy will be the next step to prevent it from growing, says Hegarty. “In a small number of cases, then, radiotherapy may be recommended.”

Redmond underwent six weeks of radiation. He had a three-year-old to look after, a temporary housing arrangement, and regular radiotherapy, but he was supported by his wife, who was “a strong, rational person, who had faith in the medical staff”.

Calling the treatment “all very Heath Robinson back in those days” — in reference to the famous cartoonist who drew elaborate and improbable machines — he recalls a rudimentary radiation treatment.

But that wasn’t the only archaic factor. Until he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he says, “I had no idea about it”. In fact, talking about the human body and using the correct anatomical terms was not something that happened, he says. “I remember, when we told people I had testicular cancer, one of my male relatives asked what the testes were.

“I didn’t know anyone else who’d had testicular cancer at the time. I would’ve spoken to my close friends about it, but we didn’t talk about it that much.”

Today, awareness of testicular cancer is increasing, thanks to global campaigns, such as Movember and foundations like OddBalls, but Hegarty says, despite the awareness, self-examining has “remained static over the years, at about 10%”

Testicular cancer is highly treatable; 96% of men who develop it are cured. It is rare, affecting 170 men in Ireland every year, but it is the most common cancer in men aged between 15 and 34.

We need to work harder at raising awareness, particularly in the younger age group. The opportunity really lies in delivering awareness programmes into schools and explaining to young men how to check themselves

The consultant says he is “hopeful” that the low self-examination rates will increase and that “the barriers to people coming forward and getting treated will reduce” as people become more comfortable talking about their health.

Although Redmond says he was “grateful the cancer was caught, it did put the kibosh on me having my own children”.

The radiation reduced Redmond’s fertility, so he and his wife had to abandon their plans for treatment. They adopted a second child, this time a boy.

This wasn’t his only experience of cancer. In 2022, Mary died of bile duct cancer. Six months later, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which was treated successfully.

Now 75, Redmond has three young grandsons — aged 14, 7, and 3 — who live close to him.

Looking back, he says the only time he really felt scared was when he had to go for review scans following treatment for testicular cancer.

“For the first couple of years, it was every three months, then every six months, then every year, and each time I would be worried about what was going to show up.”

Redmond says that since getting the all-clear, he has continued to check himself. “The one thing I’ve done religiously since is I check myself continually to make sure there’s no recurrence.”

“The most important thing I would say to young men is to check yourself, and if you notice any changes, whether that’s a lump or an enlarged testicle, leave your dignity at the door and just talk about it with your doctor.

“Medical science has improved so much over the past 40 years, so the drugs and treatment that are available now are world-class; nobody should be afraid of that word. And when you look at testicular cancer, it’s so treatable now, so men just need to check themselves and talk about it.”