Ryan is ready to cycle for charity

Ryan is ready to cycle for charity

24 June 2015

A CANCER survivor, who is preparing to cycle the length of Ireland, is encouraging more men to be aware of their bodies.

Ryan Hubbard, from Saintfield, has spoken of the shock he experienced at discovering he had testicular cancer a month before his 21st birthday.

After noticing a lump back in 2007 he went to his GP, and an operation and three rounds of chemotherapy followed shortly afterwards.

Being reasonably comfortable going to the doctors with other health issues in the past meant Ryan went quicker than other young men may have done in his situation.

Nevertheless he admits he “could have gone quicker” and doesn’t want other men taking a chance.

Looking back at this worrying time, Ryan revealed that he decided not to tell his family until he knew more about his diagnosis.

“I had been going to my GP all through school years, back and forward to the doctors through asthma,” he said. “It would not have been a surprise if I had to go to my doctor.

“The GP said he was going to refer me straight away to the hospital…I kind of knew if that is the case there is a good chance it is not good news. I didn’t tell anybody at the time. My parents were away and I didn’t want to worry them.”

When the landscape gardener got the news that it was cancer he said it was difficult to take.

“I just broke down in tears,” he said. “They didn’t want me to go home on my own so the first person I told was my boss.”

Tests followed and Ryan was told his cancer was a stage two version of the disease.

“One was the best possible outcome and three was the worst,” he said. “It had spread to the lymph nodes. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad, but they were very optimistic. Two to three weeks later I was operated on.”

Of the chemotherapy that followed Ryan said: “It was hard. They had warned me beforehand. There are a few difficult side effects, a long list of difficult things and I had a few of them.”

Ryan took a rare reaction to the chemotherapy through the steroid drugs he was taking for sickness and developed a severe and sudden back pain.

“It does not happen very often,” he said. “I also became sick all the time…I couldn’t walk 100 metres up the road.

“I think I wanted to go back to work sooner than I could, but I soon realised there was not a chance.”

Despite the short-term discomfort, Ryan is now free of cancer and relieved he went to his doctor when he did.

“I could have gone quicker,” 

he said. “I could have left it a lot longer but I could have gone a lot sooner. If I had left it longer I don’t know what would have happened.  Even a couple of months you do not know.

“I have always said everybody knows their own body, everybody should know if they are not feeling right. It may be nothing. Nine out of ten times it is probably nothing.”

Compared to women, Ryan said that men were not always the best at seeking medical help.

“People get embarrassed but these are things doctors see all the time they shouldn’t be afraid,” he said. “Always it is better to know.”

Since his recovery Ryan, who recently moved to Bangor, has raised thousands of pounds for the Friends of the Cancer Centre. Fundraising activities have included a 24-hour bike ride in Scotland and an 86-mile lap of Lough Neagh.

For his latest challenge the former Saintfield High School pupil has joined forces with school friend Richard Robinson for a 400-mile bike ride the length of Ireland, from Mizen Head in the south to Malin Head in the north in August. They are paying the costs of this trip themselves and every penny donated will be going to the charity.

Ryan said it was in memory of anyone who has suffered cancer, passed away from cancer or has had to see the pain it causes.

“Since I’ve been cured I’ve made it my mission to give something back to a charity very close to my heart,” he said.

Ryan and Richard have set a £1000 target which is already being exceeded but Ryan said they didn’t want to set the goal posts too high.

“Everybody is doing something for charity, everybody is looking for money,” he said.

Richard is a classroom assistant at Millennium Integrated Primary School and has helped raise around £500 with donations at the school.

“It was organised with the help of pupils in his class,” said Ryan. “Letters were sent letters home and for several days he has been out after school going round the parents collecting money.

“I would really like to thank everyone at the school for their support.”

Ryan has also co-written a book about cancer called A Journey of Hope and copy queries can be made through the Down Recorder.

To make a donation towards Ryan and Richard’s Mizen to Malin challenge visit: https://www.justgiving.com/ryanrickmizentomalin/