Man, 23, diagnosed with cancer after spotting odd lump in the shower
A young lad was towel-drying himself from a shower in February 2026 when he noticed an odd lump.
Eddie Lind, a retail worker from Sidcup, southeast London, spotted the small thing on his testicle and contacted his GP the next day.
"It all happened very quickly," he explained, as he soon ended up having the testicle removed, getting a cancer diagnosis and completing a short stint of chemotherapy.
At 23 years old, Eddie said he hadn’t been checking himself and just happened to notice the lump. And now he’s encouraging others to be ‘aware and checking themselves’ as cancer can ‘happen at any age’.
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He’s therefore opening up about his experience to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms, as well as raising money in aid of Guy’s Cancer Charity to support the Teenage and Young Adult service.
Following Eddie’s visit to the GP, he was referred for an ultrasound which raised concerns that the lump could be cancerous.
And so, a decision was made to surgically remove the testicle at St Thomas’ Hospital on 27 March to prevent any spread.
"It was mid-February when I first noticed the lump and by the end of March I was preparing for surgery," he explained.
"I wasn’t even looking out for signs of testicular cancer, I just happened to notice an odd lump one day and thought it would be silly not to get it checked."
After the surgery, a biopsy came back confirming that the lump had been cancerous.
"It was kind of a slow revelation, I had a lot of time to think and prepare for the worst," Eddie said.
"In recovery after the surgery, I was bleeding for two to three weeks after, and I needed antibiotics.
"It was all a bit up in the air, but once it healed, it was all ok."
'No 23-year-old thinks they’re going to be diagnosed with cancer'
Eddie needed less chemotherapy than he anticipated, with just three weeks rather than nine because the cancer was caught so early.
Having his treatment at Guy’s Cancer Centre, he lost his hair and caught an infection.
"I got a fever during chemo, and I had no immune system. I ended up in hospital for a couple of days," he explained.
But he said the worst of the side effects were caught because he had spotted the lump so quickly.
"No 23-year-old thinks they’re going to be diagnosed with cancer which is why it’s so important for young people to know that this can happen at any age," he continued.
"If you notice something that doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it or wait for it to go away. Get it checked out.
"It could be nothing, but if it is something serious, catching it early can make a huge difference."
Urging others, Eddie says it ‘takes 10 seconds to check’ and it’s ‘better to be safe than sorry’.
"And it's better to have the conversation, even if it's a bit awkward," he added.
Eddie and his girlfriend, Meg Latham, are taking on the annual abseil down St Thomas’ Hospital in aid of Guy’s Cancer Charity to raise funds for the Teenage and Young Adult Service.
You can support his fundraiser here.
Symptoms of testicular cancer
According to the NHS, testicular cancer typically affects only one testicle, though it can affect both of them.
The main symptoms of the disease are:
- A lump or swelling in the testicle
- Testicle looking bigger than usual
- Experiencing an ache or pain in the testicle or scrotum
- Scrotum feeling heavy, firm or hard
Other symptoms may include:
- Experiencing an ache or pain in the back or lower tummy
- Weight loss without trying
- A cough
- Having difficulty breathing or swallowing
- A sore or swollen chest
The health service notes: "These symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions.
"Having them does not definitely mean you have testicular cancer. But it's important to get them checked by a GP."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Jess Battison