February is National Cancer Prevention Month, the perfect time to learn cancer warning signs and steps you can take to lower your risk. Testicular cancer is increasing among men ages 15 to 35, and it comes with signs that young men might overlook or ignore. Two years ago, Fred Knight was about to propose to his long-time sweetheart Kate. At 26, cancer was the last thing on his mind. “I was at work and felt a sharp pain in my right testicle, and [I] never felt something like that before,” Knight said. Knight went to his local ER and then to another doctor. Finally, a specialist gave him the diagnosis: Knight had testicular cancer and would need surgery to remove one testicle. First, however, he and Kate had some whirlwind decisions to make. “We knew that kids were in the future,” Knight said. “We wanted that, but we were forced to think about it right then and there in that doctor’s office.” “We do recommend all men who are going to get treatment for testicular cancer to bank sperm before they start on treatment, just to have that as a backup,” said Dr. Atish Choudhury, a genitourinary urologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Less than a week later, Knight had surgery. Four months after that, the cancer came back, so doctors scheduled chemotherapy. “The chemotherapy for testicular cancer is very effective,” Choudhury said. “It’s one of the cancers that you can cure completely with chemotherapy, even if it’s spread to other parts of the body.” “That’s the day I went to go get my port,” Knight said. “I took a picture of it. I was like, ‘Oh, geez, it started coming out.’” Chemo made Knight lose hair and gain weight, hitting 320 pounds on his 6-foot-7-inch frame. But, as he wrapped up treatment, Knight decided to prioritize his health. “I found a local bike shop that had a massive, massive bike for me,” Knight said He now rides around 6,000 miles per year, and he and Kate hike together. In fact, after a two-year delay, the couple eloped to Yosemite National Park. “Don’t worry about wedding planning,” Knight said. “Hire a photographer, go next to the waterfall, and say our vows to each other.” After a two-year cancer journey, right now, their marriage is for better, not for worse. “The healthiest I’ve ever been in my life,” Knight said. Choudhury says the survival rate for testicular cancer is very high, around 95%. However, patients who have testicular cancer on one side have a 2% to 4% increased risk of developing cancer on the other side, so he says it is important for those patients to undergo regular screenings. Doctors also say testicular cancer is not always painful, so people should be aware of any lumps or swelling and should get anything unusual checked out.