He noticed unusual stomach and back pain at 27. Months later, he learned he had testicular cancer.

As for galore healthy young people, crab was not connected Nate Shalom's radar.

The 27-year-old, who lives successful St. Petersburg, Florida, described his manner arsenic "really active." "In a funny way, blasted my girlfriend," Shalom told Business Insider. "We some conscionable cannot beryllium connected the couch."

The mates spent astir of their clip traveling, socializing pinch their friend group, and training for fittingness challenges specified arsenic a half marathon aliases 75 Hard, a 75-day programme that calls for 2 regular workouts, a gallon of h2o a day, and abstaining from alcohol.

It wasn't until Shalom met Kathy Lemoine, a female whose 30-year-old son, Andrew Reaster, died from colon cancer, that Shalom learned astir the rising rates of crab among young group — including those who are fresh and travel cleanable diets.

Shalom, who runs a business trading devices to med spas, met Lemoine successful November 2025 while moving astatine a cosmetic laser certification people successful Georgia.

Shalom and Lemoine struck up a conversation. Lemoine shared really her son's only denotation earlier his shape 4 test was a tummy ache and really he died six months later.

"Her communicative was really eye-opening," Shalom said. Lemoine was proactive astir spreading the connection and encouraging young group to get symptoms checked out. "I'm like, 'Ok, I'm the nonstop property group arsenic her son.'"

Six months later, erstwhile he started experiencing pain successful his correct testicle, abdomen, and little back, Shalom followed her advice.

That's erstwhile he learned he had shape 2 testicular cancer.

His expert first thought it was an infection

Shalom's first denotation was a dull symptom successful conscionable his correct testicle — thing he hadn't knowledgeable before.

"Typically, if you get deed down there, some hurt," Shalom said. Then, his testicle doubled successful size, followed by the tummy and backmost pain.

Shalom asked his adjacent friends if they ever had akin symptoms. When they each said no, he knew the symptom was not going distant connected its own.

He booked an assignment successful May 2026 with a urologist, who suspected Shalom conscionable had an infection and told Shalom that his symptoms didn't really statement up pinch cancer. Still, arsenic a precaution, the expert offered to execute an ultrasound. Shalom agreed.

"After the first appointment, I was beautiful optimistic," Shalom said, anticipating taking a elemental medicine medication.

A fewer weeks later, Shalom sewage a telephone from the office. A wide was recovered successful his correct testicle. By June, an MRI confirmed that he had shape 2 testicular cancer because the crab had dispersed to an abdominal lymph node.

Shalom was successful shock, and worried astir really to break the news to his family. Even aft he heard Lemoine's story, he remembered reasoning the likelihood that he would besides person crab was beautiful overmuch impossible, particularly fixed that he had nary family history of cancer.

"I cognize it's very cliché to opportunity erstwhile group are like, 'Oh, I ne'er thought it'd beryllium me,'" Shalom said. "But actually, successful that moment, I'm like, 'Ok, I'm now going to person to woody pinch cancer, and I ne'er thought I would person to.'"

Navigating curen was tricky

While Shalom said the advantage of being an entrepreneur has been elastic hours, the downside is figuring retired really to balance activity pinch treatment, including scheduling appointments.

"Everything falls connected me," Shalom said, whose activity requires a batch of recreation and in-person meetings. "I'm very down connected everything. I've missed retired connected deals, for sure."

Following his ultrasound, Shalom was scheduled for room to region his correct testicle successful early June, and he was told the adjacent disposable assignment for the accompanying MRI, which would corroborate if the crab had spread, was successful August, 2 months later.

He said it took him "probably 2 to 3 hours" retired of his time to push for an earlier MRI appointment, scheduled the time earlier his surgery.

Shalom besides had to navigate his wellness insurance, adding supplemental surgical coverage — an other $300 per period — which he didn't recognize he needed until 1 of his family members told him to.

"There are conscionable a bunch of small things that you fig connected the measurement that you're like, 'I didn't moreover deliberation of this,'" Shalom said. "'And convey God that 1 personification conscionable mentioned that.'"

Ultimately, he said that Lemoine's communicative reminded him of the value of acting quickly: "It kept maine from brushing it disconnected aliases being comfortable waiting longer."

He stays successful touch pinch the female who warned him first

Shalom is presently halfway done a three-round chemotherapy treatment, expected to extremity successful precocious September. Each information has progressive him staying astatine the infirmary for 5 days successful a row, getting infusions for 5 hours per day, past having 1 infusion sojourn per week for the adjacent 2 weeks.

So far, he's knowledgeable immoderate beardown broadside effects, including losing each his hairsbreadth and emotion perpetually nauseous and fatigued. He said he's grateful for his support system, including his girlfriend, parents, stepdad, and friends, who've gone to appointments pinch him and often cheque in.

He's besides thankful he met Lemoine, who came down to Florida to astonishment him aft his surgery. He said her communicative made him recognize really easy it was to brush disconnected symptoms, peculiarly erstwhile you're young and healthy.

What stuck retired to him was her wishing her boy had gotten immoderate benignant of screening sooner, moreover though Reaster had nary known symptoms anterior to his tummy ache correct earlier diagnosis.

"She was like, 'If we conscionable sewage it checked retired a twelvemonth ago, possibly it could person been different,'" Shalom said. "If it wasn't for her, I don't deliberation I would've really gotten checked out."

This article is not a substitute for master aesculapian advice, diagnosis, aliases treatment. Always consult your qualified expert aliases healthcare provider.