The Wii cured my testicular cancer

Reader Frank Golbadov mailed us his incredible story on his recovery process from testical cancer. He found out that he had testicular cancer in november 2006 but he was lucky that he had discovered it in an early phase. He went through a lot of pain after the operation and during the chemotherapy but his Nintendo Wii helped him to forget his pain and his cancer. Today he still uses the Wii to stay in shape and the console made the relationship with his family and friends a lot stronger. A touching testimony that should be used as an example by other people who are going through the same hard period as Frank.

Frank Golbadov
In november 2006 I felt a lump in my scrotum. At first I thought that it was just nothing and it didn’t really hurt in the beginning too. I didn’t tell my wife because I knew she would panic. Each time I went in the shower I touched the mass in my left testicle. Two weeks later the lump on my testical was bigger, and that’s when I panicked. I didn’t wait a minute longer and told my wife about it. After she felt the lump too, I made an appointment with my doctor.

The doctor was 100% sure from the very second he made his diagnose. The bad news was that I had testical cancer, but the relatively good news was that they discovered it in an early phase. But still, I started thinking: Why me? Testical cancer is really rare, it accounts for only 1 percent of cancers in men but I’m 32 now and about 75% of all testical cancers occur between the age of 20 and 42. Fortunately we discovered it early and the doctor guaranteed me that it could be cured. I had heard before about the really painful treatment for testical cancer so I was prepared to go through a lot of pain. Luckily, I have a supporting family and then there was the Nintendo Wii helping me to stay in shape and forget about my pain.

One day after that I went to a specialist for a more specific diagnosis. I was told that my left testical had to be removed or the cancer would have spread to other parts of my body. Six days later I had an operation and after that I felt really bad. Before my cancer I was a very proud guy, always wearing nice clothes, taking good care of my skin, body weight, muscles, etc. but after they removed my testical I didn’t feel male at all. The pain was really bad in the beginning too and I started to work my frustration out on my wife and son which is off course a bad thing.

I had to stay two more weeks at the hospital to recover from the operation and it was still as if my scrotum was burning. My kid visited me with the new toy he got for his birthday; the Nintendo Wii. I wasn’t really in the mood to play on it but I played a game of baseball with him anyway to please him. I was actually having a good time and I actually forgot that I had cancer and an awful pain in my scrotum. He left the Wii system on my room when he left and after five minutes I was already playing a second game of baseball. One of the nurses even joined me and owned me in Wii.

The next day I was already feeling a lot better and when my son came by we played some more on the Nintendo Wii. He said I could have it until my cancer was gone. I had to promise to him that I would heal fast because he really wanted his Wii and his daddy back. Dennis, one of the nicest guys ever, had been in the hospital for several times because of lung cancer. He had lots of difficulties with his memory but I had the impression that the Wii was actually training him to memorize better. The doctors gave me permission to go home after two weeks, as they had planned, and my family was glad to have me and the Wii back. I was still a little scared for the chemotherapy but it went a lot better than I had expected.

I had a lot of nausea and skin irritation but luckily I didn’t have much hair loss problem. One of the other things that I didn’t like about the chemo therapy was no sex, I had to lose my energy in something else; the Nintendo Wii again! In the meanwhile we already Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, another game that made me shake my hips in the living room. I ate well, took vitamines, did all of my chemo’s and by January I already felt a lot better. I took my last chemo on May the 5th and now I’m a healthier man than ever! I thank the lord and the doctors for the good treatment and all of my family members and friends who got me through that difficult period.

It sounds strange, but I wouldn’t have recovered without my son his Wii. The Nintendo Wii kept me in shape and made me forget about my pain and cancer. My family situation stayed healthy as well thanks to the many games of baseball I played with my son and off course the tennis matches with my lovely wife. I still play it now to keep myself in shape and I’m really looking forward to Wii Health Pack! I’d recommend anyone who has extreme pain to work out with Wii Sports and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. I’d be happy to help others out using the Wii in their healing process of whatever disease.

Digg this story

Shop at our WiiHealthy Store - June 25th, 2007