The Patriots love to keep their injury report a secret, but this bit of information on Nate Solder is humbling.
Solder was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2014, yet kept it between himself and the team — while battling on.
He started every game and served as quarterback Tom Brady’s blindside protector in a season that culminated with a Super Bowl XLIX championship.
I knew nothing about it. It was a complete surprise,” said Solder, who turned 27 on April 12 and enters his fifth NFL season in 2015. “You Google something like that and it kind of scares you, so I was like, ‘I’m not going to freak out about this.’ Had I not had a routine physical, I probably wouldn’t have checked it, saying, ‘Oh, it’s just in my head, I’m going to be fine.'”
According to the American Cancer Society, testicular cancer can develop in males of any age, including infants and elderly men. Almost half of all cases are in men between the ages of 20 and 34.
He had a quick and uncomplicated recovery, and Solder says he didn’t want to turn into a huge story of him beating cancer.
“I was completely healthy, I’m a professional athlete. It can happen to anybody,” he said. “Make sure you get yourself checked out, especially young men, because that’s who it’s really targeted toward. . . .
“The biggest thing is letting people know and giving them the information. And maybe giving people some courage that if they are in a situation like I was, maybe they would go and say something, and that could make a difference. It’s more common than people realize. A lot of people are either afraid to do it, or they don’t think it’s important enough to get it checked. It’s a simple check. Six months, a year, and then it starts spreading and then you start to feel symptoms and it’s a more serious situation. So that’s a big thing; you can save lives with early detection.”