Former Saints star Corbisiero reveals his cancer battle

Saints double-winner Alex Corbisiero has revealed his battle with testicular cancer.
Alex Corbisiero won a Premiership and Challenge Cup double with Saints in 2013/14Alex Corbisiero won a Premiership and Challenge Cup double with Saints in 2013/14
Alex Corbisiero won a Premiership and Challenge Cup double with Saints in 2013/14

The 31-year-old, who moved to Northampton in 2013 and made 30 appearances for the club, was covering the World Cup in Japan last November when he realised something was wrong.

Corbisiero has explained how his genital had swollen to the size of a small pumpkin and is now urging awareness among men.

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He has recovered after a bout of surgery and chemotherapy and has got through it with the help of his family and fiancee, United States sevens star Abby Gustaitis.

"I just felt something wasn’t right," Corbisiero told The Times.

“I could tell it felt a bit bigger, a bit harder, it was starting to get a little bit sore. I started to notice bumping into it. I had been keeping an eye on it for a couple of weeks and it felt like it was growing every day.

"Finally when I had a break I went to get it checked. It was always on my radar slightly because my dad had testicular cancer when he was 28. I was still in denial.

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"I was going to get this checked and then go to jiu jitsu. My brother was waiting in the car. Next thing I had to call him and say: ‘Hey bro, I have got testicular cancer’.

“The doctor said: ‘Very few people die from this’. That was my initial thought: ‘I don’t want to die’. You are in shock and very emotional. You can’t believe it all changed on that day and you are dealing with this.”

The cancer hasn't spread, but former England prop Corbisiero, who now lives in America, did need one extremely tough session of chemotherapy to make sure.

He said: “I have unbelievable respect for people who have to go through longer stints.

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“I reacted to it very strongly. Within two hours I felt very ill. It was rough. Your mind, you are playing with anxiety and your thoughts.

“This was a real test. I failed at times, I let myself down at times and let it get the better of me. I was scared about it, especially at the start. You feel very vulnerable.

"You feel insecure. Your confidence is low. I let it defeat me at times but that is the whole journey. You get caught up in it. Even when you know it is going to be OK, you are still nervous about it.

“I had a beautiful fiancee who is strong and impressive and I wanted to be strong and impressive for her. Your inner voice is saying: ‘You are out of shape, you are damaged goods, you have got one ball’.

"All this stuff is going through your head all the time that you have to battle and fight with.”