Rob Sprow

<< All Testicular Cancer Survivors

At age 28, Rob Sprow was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Many years later, today, Rob is cancer free. He works full time and even runs a goose-hunting club on the side.

But it hasn't been an easy road. You might say Rob went on a wild goose chase before he found Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA).

"When I first got cancer, I had surgery to remove one of my testicles," says Rob. "About a year and a half later, my tumor markers were elevated, but the doctors couldn't find a tumor. So then I did chemotherapy for four months."

"The first few treatments at home were great," says Rob. Then the insurance company told him the home-care treatments were not covered, and he had to get his chemotherapy at a hospital.

"That was brutal," says Rob. "They kept you hooked up constantly. I couldn't even get out of bed. This was before I found CTCA."

After two years later, Rob's tumor markers were elevated again.

"The urologist couldn't find the tumor," says Rob. "He said that chemotherapy worked last time, so we'll just do that again. This guy's saying it worked, and it didn't work at all. The cancer came back!"

Rob talked things over with his wife, Pam. "We had heard about CTCA at Zion. We said, 'Let's go there,'" says Rob. "They found the tumor immediately and I had surgery because I didn't want to go through chemotherapy again. My doctor said that if I came in every month for a checkup, we could skip the chemotherapy."

After six months, his checkups became quarterly. Now, he has to go only every couple of years.

Years after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, Rob lives a normal life in Island Lake, Illinois. He's a full-time painter and runs an interesting business on the side.

"I run a goose-hunting club," says Rob. "We hunt only about three months a year, but believe me, it's a year-round job."

He is still able to be intimate with his wife. "During the second surgery, my second testicle was removed," says Rob. Now he has a prescription for testosterone patches. "These patches are not as good as the real thing," he says, "but sex is better than it was when I didn't have the patches."

Rob's seven-year anniversary for being cancer-free was in July 2001, but September is another big month for him. It's the start of the goose-hunting season in Illinois.