The day that saved my life

“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” This quote was created by the great M Scott Peck and he is 100% correct that life is difficult for us all and for various reasons. There are days, weeks or even months in the years we all can point to, that makes us all think ‘Yes life is difficult’. For me personally, life became very difficult in July 2009.

Looking back on things now, 12 years later, I still think to myself, should I have done this? Should I have done that? But obviously it is a lot easier now in hindsight to think like that as at the time your mind, body and soul are all over the place. I hate the month of July with a passion, as it’s the month I realised I was facing the biggest battle of my life, the fights of all fights and that was Cancer.

Walking into a clinic and being examined by a top medical specialist in their field and to be told you have days to live is something you can never prepare yourself for. I was thinking to myself, not long ago I was diagnosed with a Water Infection, now potentially Testicular Cancer and now I’m told I have days to live, how can you comprehend that?

After being examined that horrible day, I went home and tried to process it all. I knew I was unwell for sure, I could feel it, my body was sore, my energy was dropping and my will to live was going. All I could do though was wait and hope, that the thoughts of the specialist was not true. A few weeks went by and one morning I couldn’t open my eyes properly, I couldn’t walk and was so weak I had no energy for anything. I knew deep down that this was getting serious now, I was thinking ‘surely I can’t have Cancer’, but on 24th July my world fell apart, my worst fear came true.

I sat in an office, waiting to see a top consultant, nervous as you can imagine. After the consultant examined me, he sat me down and the next 30 seconds changed my life forever. “Dan, you look unwell, your body is unwell and unfortunately you are very unwell, I am 99.99% sure you have Cancer, but 0.01% think you have water infection, (which made me smile). I’m going to take away your tumours and hopefully that helps”.

Hearing that hurt a lot as everything you work for, live for and loved for is taken away from you within 30 seconds, and it is something you can never take back. I knew then, I was entering the biggest battle of my life, a battle I could lose. I was only 29, I had a lot to live for. In this world, you can take things for granted and I took my life for granted.

27th July 2009 was the most heart wrenching day of my life. It’s the day I will always remember, as it was the day that saved MY LIFE, as on that day I had my operation to remove the tumours. But it is also a sad day for me, as it is my late father’s birthday, so every year I remember him on his birthday and also think of my battle.

Life is so precious, and you have to hold it, take care of it and be proud of it, as it can be taken away from you in seconds, so please be safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Dan Silver

If you would like more information about the incredible work the charity Dash of Silver offer, or if you require self examination cards, please visit: www.dashofsilver.co.uk