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In 1991, Jason Huckaby was an active college student in his third year at NC State. The chemical engineering major and avid mountain biker thought he had pulled a muscle but the pain didn’t subside. He visited a student health physician who immediately referred him to a Raleigh hospital where he was diagnosed with Stage 1 seminoma, a type of testicular cancer. He underwent surgery and then radiation at a second Raleigh facility.

He was followed for the routine five years and got on with his life, finishing school, and starting a career with Eastern Research Group, a contractor for the US EPA.

2008 was a significant year. He got married to his fiancée, Julie, and helped take care of his dad who had cancer of the bile duct that had spread.

“I started having symptoms, but this time in the abdomen and a different kind of pain. I thought I had pulled a muscle playing volleyball. But, two weeks after my wedding, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer for the second time. Julie and I like to say that we tested the ‘sickness’ part of our vows right away.”

“We had moved up our wedding date because my father’s condition was failing. We’re glad we did, because he died between my third and fourth rounds of chemo. My dad received his care at UNC, and since my wife works at UNC, it was the easiest place for me. I was able to get rides to and from my chemotherapy sessions with Julie and with friends.”

Huckaby found his UNC experience patient-friendly. “I didn’t have to carry my medical records around from place to place. It was one-stop shopping. My surgeon, oncologist and the nurse navigator were a team. I found lots of information in the Patient and Family Resource Center and books on nutrition since I had lost weight during the chemotherapy. I also took part in the ‘Cancer Transitions’ course offered by the UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program after I finished my treatment.”

He participated in a clinical trial testing markers that may indicate risk of recurrence. “I knew it wouldn’t benefit me, but I thought if I could help someone in the future, I would.”

“When I was diagnosed the first time, I was a college kid, young and stupid. I thought, okay, I have cancer and got through it. The second diagnosis, coming later in my life, and after losing my dad to cancer, gave me a different perspective. If I have a bad day, I figure things could be worse. Julie and I don’t postpone trips or experiences.”

Huckaby counsels newly diagnosed patients to “take things one day at a time. Cancer is a journey. I know you read that phrase lots of places, but you really need to move beyond the initial shock and despair and focus on the task at hand during your active treatment.”

Huckaby serves on the new Patient and Family Advisory Board as its vice president. “I’m honored to be on the Board,” he says. “N.C. Cancer Hospital is a top-notch facility, and the Board can help move it to the next level of customer service by helping them polish what’s already in place.”