Frank Weisz, 50, said his battle began in the spring of 1995, when he was at his job at Williston’s Tractor Supply Company. He works in shipping and receiving and also does some inventory work.
“I went to lift something and got an excruciating pain. It just hit me like that; I thought it was a muscle pull or something,” said Weisz.
Once he experienced the intense pain, he told his wife, Karen. They immediately made an appointment with their family doctor, but Karen said cancer wasn’t the original diagnosis.
“They couldn’t really find anything right away. They thought it was an infection of some sort,” she said. Frank also didn’t think it was cancer, so they pursued treatment for what they thought was an infection for about six weeks. Weisz said the pain continued, however, and it came to a head when his boss called Karen to tell her he’d been taken to the hospital.
An appointment was made with Williston urologist Dr. Salem Shahin, who diagnosed Weisz with testicular cancer almost immediately, scheduling surgery for the next day.
Weisz said he had what might be considered a surprising reaction to the news ” a sense of relief.
“Compared to not knowing, it was kind of a relief knowing what I was up against and had to deal with,” he said.
By being relieved, he wasn’t downplaying the seriousness of the situation.
“It wasn’t easy by any means, but once we found out what it was, you sit down and think about what’s going to happen and you could focus on the one thing,” said Weisz.
The surgery he had involves making an incision in the groin and removing one or both testicles and cutting the spermatic cord which attaches it to the abdomen. This procedure is called a radial inguinal orchiectomy.
Weisz said the surgery is a short one and he dealt with it quite well, going home the next day. He was then given two options ” either begin chemotherapy or he could have a second surgery to see if the cancer had spread. He chose the surgery.
The second surgery, known as a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, is a much longer and more complex procedure. A larger incision from the groin is made up to the stomach to check or remove lymph nodes behind the abdomen. This is done to prevent the cancer from spreading.
“They found it hadn’t spread,” said Weisz.
Karen said the surgery required more time away from work than the first one.
“He had six weeks off of work. In almost 23 years at work, he’s never taken sick days. He doesn’t like having to sit and be idle,” she said.
He then had checkups every six months for about two years after the procedures and once a year for three years after that. He also had X-rays to make sure it hasn’t spread, and so far it hasn’t.
Weisz said family, friends and medical staff have been a big help to him over the years to deal with his situation.
“My family was amazing, they stood behind me the whole way. The doctors were great, they took really great care of me. The people at our church, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, were a huge help, bringing meals and asking how I was,” said Weisz.
Weisz said being a cancer survivor put a new perspective on things. He’s thankful for the second chance he’s received. He does more work through church and his wife says he “doesn’t take life so seriously as before”.
“It makes you look at a lot of things differently. I’ve been able to walk my oldest daughter down the aisle to be married and been able to see my other two daughters go through college. And I’ve become a grandfather,” said Weisz.
Their oldest daughter, Alexis, 28, lives in Detroit Lakes, Minn., with her husband Jason. Ashley, 25, is pursuing her master’s degree at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and their youngest, Aleina, 20, goes to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
Weisz said they’re thankful things turned out so well. Since then, the couple and their daughters have participated in Relay For Life events.
He said people today are also more aware that cancer isn’t an automatic death sentence. Weisz added with work through organizations like Relay For Life, cancer may even become a more treatable ailment in the future.
The American Cancer Society states the most common symptom of testicular cancer is either a lump or swelling and enlargement of one or both testicles. Sometimes symptoms can include heaviness or a sore feeling in the groin area or scrotum and lower back pain.
The National Cancer Institute states an estimated 8,400 cases of testicular cancer will be reported and 380 deaths will result from it in 2009. Testicular cancer is a highly curable form of cancer, especially if diagnosed early.
About 70 percent of such cancer cases are diagnosed while it’s still confined to the primary site and the overall five year survival rate from 1999-2005 is over 95 percent.
For more information about testicular cancer or any kind of cancer, visit the American Cancer Society Web site at www.cancer.org or the National Cancer Institute site at www.cancer.gov.
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