Live for Today: One Testicular Cancer Survivor's Journey to Advocacy

Fifteen years ago, at the age of 31 and just married about a month prior, Scott Petinga and his wife had discovered he had stage 1 testicular cancer — a disease he was severely overtreated for.

After 16 rounds of radiation, Petinga was left with one less testicle, infertile and unable to properly produce hormones — all things that affect him still today.

As a result, Scott has become a patient advocate and philanthropic entrepreneur to help raise awareness for others by founding organizations like the TH!NK DIFFERENT Foundation, the Fairy Foundation and the Center of Advocacy for Cancer of the Testes International (CACTI).

This week, CURE spoke with Petinga about his journey with testicular cancer, why getting a second opinion is key and how community can help patients and their loved ones navigate the new normal after a cancer diagnosis.