Ivory Coast international and Borussia Dortmund forward Sebastian Haller has sent a message to men after surviving a deadly testical tumor.
After being diagnosed with the tumor last year and being sidelined for months following the diagnosis, Sebastian Haller expressed his happiness in finally winning the battle against the disease.
Speaking before Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League clash against Chelsea, Sebastian Haller encouraged men to go for regular checkups for testical tumor, saying anyone can be affected.
Haller said men should to take proactive measures to forestall possible occurrence of the disease by taking bold and brave steps to check themselves.
The Borussia Dortmund striker was diagnosed with the testicular tumour just two weeks after signing for the German club in July last year
Before he was diagnosed with the health problem, reports had it that the Ivorien felt some lumps and pains in his belly for a some weeks.
He then decided to go for a test where he was diagnosed with the testical tumor and was told he will be sidelined for months for treatment before returning to the squad.
Two surgeries and several bouts of chemotherapy followed, delaying his Borussia Dortmund debut until January when he returned from the cancer treatment.
He made his debut in Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga clash against Augsburg, coming on from the bench in the second half.
Speaking of his fight and struggle to survive the medical condition, Sebastian Haller said it came out as a great shock when he was diagnosed with the disease.
He’d thought it was a minor disease when he began to experience stomach pains, but after going for the check, he was diagnosed with the condition and had to undergo a rigorous cancer treatment procedure.
‘It’s now a part of my life, a mark on my body that’s impossible to forget. But I don’t want to hide it, I’m really proud of what I’ve done’, he said.
‘It had been about 5 weeks that I didn’t feel comfortable in part of my belly so we needed to check.
‘Within 24 hours they knew it was a tumour, so it was a big shock. I tried to stay calm, when you start to think about bad things, your mind goes in every direction and you make mistakes.’
Haller added it was a difficult moment, especially when one have to deal with family members who were deeply hurt by the shock report.
‘The difficult thing is knowing you could cause pain and sadness to the people you know and your family. The chemo was hard, you know what’s going to happen when you’ve had a couple and you know the wait is still long.’
Despite the ugly prospects that came with the chemo treatment, Sebastian Haller said it was a huge relief for him when he was told he could make a return to the pitch.
“When the doc told me I had the green light and I could be back on the pitch. it was such a relief, you know”, he added.
The former West Ham star used the opportunity to send a message to men urging proactive steps to be taken for the eradication of the ailment. He said everyone is vulnerable. Hence, regular check is important to save lives.
‘I want to say it can happen to anyone, it can happen to everyone and it can come quick’, Haller added.
‘So, we need to check. It can save life. Not just for your life, but your family, because if something happens you have people around you it can effect. So we need to check.’
Sebastian Haller made his Champions League debut for Borussia Dortmund against Chelsea at the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.
He helped the Bundesliga club secured a 1-0 victory over the Premier League side, courtesy of Adeyemi’s second half strike.
