Auckland Man's 'Squishy' Find Catches Cancer Early

A quick self-check in 2019 may have saved Harrison Stott's life, and now he's speaking up to encourage other men to do the same.

The Auckland businessman was 28 and training for a marathon in London when he noticed something unusual. "I was just fiddling around down here, and there was something sort of squishy on the top of my left testicle," Stott says.

At first, he ignored it and ran his marathon anyway. But the lump didn't disappear, so he finally booked a doctor's appointment.

What started as a suspected cyst turned serious when an ultrasound found four tumors inside his testicle. Doctors recommended immediate removal, and Stott kept his trademark humor intact, joking with medical staff about prosthetic options.

Then came the word "cancer." Despite surgery six weeks earlier, a communication breakdown meant Stott hadn't been told that two of the tumors were cancerous. He'd assumed no news was good news.

"I kind of shut down," he recalls. "I was young, just run a marathon, feeling on top of life and to hear that, it was quite sobering."

The worst part came next: waiting weeks to learn if the cancer had spread. The answer finally arrived on Christmas Eve. It was all clear.

Today, the 34-year-old father of two is cancer-free and using his experience to break the silence around men's health. In a strange twist, his brother Fletcher also developed testicular cancer but is now clear after chemotherapy. "Between us, there's only one pair of balls," Stott jokes.

Why This Inspires

Stott's story highlights a crucial truth: early detection saves lives. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men aged 18 to 44, with Māori men facing nearly double the risk. About 180 New Zealand men are diagnosed each year, but 96% are cured when caught early.

Urological surgeon Dr. Jim Duthie says men's reluctance to check themselves often stems from fear of looking weak or getting bad news. He's seen too many young men arrive with lumps "the size of a grapefruit" because they hoped it would disappear.

The solution is simple: check yourself after a warm shower when everything is relaxed. Hold each testicle in both hands and use your thumbs to feel the entire surface, looking for anything new or different.

"There's nothing wrong with going to get checked," Stott says. "Worst case, there is something wrong, but it can be sorted, and you've got it early."

His message is clear: a few minutes of checking could add decades to your life.