We’re Having a Baby. Here’s How We Did It.  Generally when I tell people I had testicular cancer when I was in my mid-twenties, they have a tendency to ask if I am still able to have children. While this seems like a bold choice to immediately inquire about a basic stranger’s fertility, I just have assumed that it means they can see what a natural father I am and that it would be a shame to keep a future child from having me as a dad.  While I’ve been able to theoretically answer that question, I can now definitely say yes, I am able to father a child. The Birckbichler family will be ..read more

S. SayCo Alford Shares His Testicular Cancer Story Welcome to the Band of Ballers! In this series on ABSOT, I’m turning over control to some other ballsy testicular cancer survivors and patients who have inspired me with their work in advocacy and awareness during and after their diagnosis. This month’s feature is all about S. SayCo Alford, who shares his story. Enjoy! My journey with testicular cancer began in late October. I was helping my church move locations and thought I pulled my groin. After a few weeks of ice and heating pad, I brought it up to my spouse. Then came a crazy find at a d ..read more

Michael Scherer Founded Worth The Wait As A Way To Give Back After His Testicular Cancer Diagnosis Welcome to the Band of Ballers! In this series on ABSOT, I’m turning over control to some other ballsy testicular cancer survivors and patients who have inspired me with their work in advocacy and awareness during and after their diagnosis. This month’s feature is all about Michael Scherer, who formed Worth The Wait. Enjoy! I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 26. I was in the prime of my life; newly married, thriving in my career, and enjoying being a young couple with good jobs and no ..read more

Darrin Duncan Writes a Touching Tribute for His Son, Alex G. Duncan, Who His Family Calls “The Strongest Boy We Know.” Welcome to the Band of Ballers! In this series on ABSOT, I’m turning over control to some other ballsy testicular cancer survivors and patients who have inspired me with their work in advocacy and awareness during and after their diagnosis. This month’s feature is all about Alex G. Duncan, who served as the inspiration for the Alex G. Duncan Foundation. Enjoy! Alex was always a fighter, even before he was born. He was a high-risk pregnancy and doctors thought he would be prema ..read more

Where is A Ballsy Sense of Tumor Going in the Future? So it has been a hot minute… more like roughly 216,492 minutes. I haven’t published anything on ABSOT since October 2022, when I reflected on the life changes I’ve made in the six years since diagnosis. Coincidentally, that was also the last time I made a social media post (aside from automated Facebook/Twitter posts). In that post, I basically said I wanted to work on being Justin the Person, more so than Justin the Advocate. I must have really taken that to heart..  My Christmas sweater skills have leveled up March marks the six year ..read more

Six Years Have Passed Since I Became The Uniballer Every fall, I write two separate but linked blog posts: one as a reflection on how my life has changed since facing cancer in October 2016 and another on how running this blog has evolved over time. While the latter post won’t be written until next month, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I really have… dropped the ball on writing too many posts in 2022. And yes, I will be using this same joke in that post. However, the lack of writing directly mirrors changes in my life since last year’s entry into this “X Years Ago” series. In the p ..read more

After Putting It Off For Far Too Long, I Made My First Descents Trip to Santa Cruz For a Surfing Adventure Early on in sharing my journey, I received an email from an organization called First Descents. The email said they offered “free outdoor adventure programs that empower them to climb, paddle, and surf beyond their diagnosis, reclaim their lives, and connect with others doing the same.” Initially, I was skeptical (since this seemed too good to be true – almost like a timeshare offer). However, I talked to the guy who emailed and I was hooked. I told him that I would definitely make it ont ..read more

James Patrick Stowe Served as the Inspiration for the Foundation of The James Patrick Stowe Fund Welcome to the Band of Ballers! In this series on ABSOT, I’m turning over control to some other ballsy testicular cancer survivors and patients who have inspired me with their work in advocacy and awareness during and after their diagnosis. This month’s feature is all about James Patrick Stowe, who inspired his friends and family to develop The James Patrick Stowe Fund. Enjoy! James Patrick Stowe was a person of immense character who was unfortunately taken away from this earth way too soon after a ..read more

My Amazing Caregiver and Mother Chats with Caroline Pincus, Director of Content for FindCenter, A Resource Designed to Help Caregivers One of the hidden heroes of a cancer journey are the caregivers. They take on so much to make sure their loved one doesn’t have to. My mom was my caregiver and I cannot ever express my appreciation enough. She’s written some articles here on ABSOT, and recently conducted her very first ABSOT interview with Caroline Pincus, Director of Content for FindCenter.  MOM: Caregivers play such an important role in society today. Tell me about your new venture you c ..read more

Teacher Marco Pizzoferrato Uses His Testicular Cancer Journey To Educate His Students Welcome to the Band of Ballers! In this series on ABSOT, I’m turning over control to some other ballsy testicular cancer survivors and patients who have inspired me with their work in advocacy and awareness during and after their diagnosis. This month’s feature is all about Marco Pizzoferrato, who blends his cancer experience with his career in teaching. Enjoy! I was diagnosed at age 21 in October of 1996. I was student teaching and coaching high school football. While at a practice, I felt discomfort and I f ..read more