Back in the Air after Testicular Cancer - A Pilot's Story

Richard Kentish is a UK training captain and examiner with Ryanair and a professional "with a demonstrated history of working in the airlines/aviation industry," per his LinkedIn profile. He learned he had testicular cancer during the Covid-19 pandemic and managed his health with support from his wife and two young daughters. Now back in the air, Richard shares his emotional story of surviving testicular cancer, returning to a job he loves, and telling his story to as many people or organizations who will listen.  

Transcript

00:00.00

Joyce Lofstrom

Hi, this is Joyce, and with me today is Richard Kentish. He's a professional training captain with Ryan Air and a former commercial air pilot in the UK. He grew up wanting to be a pilot and he achieved that dream including his eighteen-month hiatus when he had to navigate his journey with cancer which we will talk about. Today he joins me to share that story and tell us more about his career in the airlines and the aviation industry, and how he now helps raise awareness about testicular cancer. So,  Richard. Thanks so much for being with me today. I appreciate it. I know you've been busy.

00:36.51

Richard Kentish

No, it's a pleasure. Thank you very much for inviting me on your podcast.

00:40.53

Joyce Lofstrom

So, tell us your story. What was your journey with testicular cancer? Anything you'd you'd like to share with us?

00:47.56

Richard Kentish

Yeah, I'll share the full story. It started back in January February 2020 so just when the pandemic was sort of starting a couple of years ago and it all started with me being sat on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon and my eldest daughter who was 4 at the time um jumped on me as 4-year-olds tend to do that. Yeah, and unfortunately, she caught me wrong and caught me in the gentleman area.

01:16.20

Joyce Lofstrom

Yes, they do.

01:24.85

Richard Kentish

Hurt at the time; as all gentlemen will agree, but then I didn't think anything of it. So probably a day later, something like that, noticed that one was slightly larger than the other one and thought oh that's odd, maybe. Because she caught me wrong in that area. It must just be swollen due to that then a few days later and I mentioned it to the wife and then a few days later she's nagging me, you need to go to the doctor, you need to go to the doctor, and obviously I was like, no, I'll be fine. You'll be fine. It'll go down. And this period of time, it's getting bigger and bigger. Um, so she drags me to the local GP, here in the village where we live, and I go and see them and obviously showing my testicles to the doppser. Ah, doctor has a good feel and he's like you know what? there's no lumps. So. It's definitely not testicular cancer, that's perfect. So off he goes to speak to his colleague then they come in have a good feel and have a good look  because they're a bit mystified by it all.

02:35.84

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, right.

02:39.17

Richard Kentish

And then they're like oh okay, we'll we'll send you for a scan anyway, so they send me in for ultrasound and I've got 2 children so obviously had seen ultrasounds before, when my wife was pregnant, and this experience was completely different.

02:55.77

Joyce Lofstrom

I'm sure it was, yes.

02:57.76

Richard Kentish

Because yeah, because usually they're very chatty: the sonographers are like, ah this and that, la la la, and this sonographer was absolutely deadly silent. She didn't say a word, which my wife sat next to me at the time, and she was like, that's not good that she didn't really say anything, and I was like, well you know it's not like a pregnancy thing. You know it's so it's not offered. They're going to talk about things. But anyway, the following day I get a phone call from the head GP in the surgery in our village saying oh,  they've found something suspicious. So we have to refer you to a consultant. So I was like oh, okay, and then being an airline pilot. We have our own medicals and things like that that we have to keep, so I was like okay now, this is, I have to inform the authorities. I've got see a consultant, so I speak to my aero medical doctor and then they're like right, I have to suspend your medical of immediate effect which I do every year.

04:03.48

Joyce Lofstrom

What does that mean?

04:10.37

Richard Kentish

As pilots get older, every six months, we have to have a medical and this basically means that we can or can't fly or operate on the aircraft. So we all worry about X. We think the doctor's going to take away our medicals and all this sort of so it's like our biggest fear because it's the end of your career.

04:12.89

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay.

04:29.20

Richard Kentish

Effectively. So I ring up my a medical doctor just for advice, and I just say, oh this has happened, and he's like, okay, well, we've got to suspend your medical immediately. You can't operate anymore. You can't do anything to do with your license. I was like okay, so I have to tell work, and I was in a car parked at a supermarket at the time, because that's when the doctor rung me, and my wife had just gone in to get some food quickly before we're picking the children up from nursery school. So I ring my boss and then tell them and they're like, oh my gosh.

04:51.50

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah.

05:06.89

Richard Kentish

I know--incredibly supportive work actually in that respect, which is brilliant. So then I couldn't work from that point. Then the following week, I see the consultants. He had,   really, a good sense of humor. Nice guy, funnily enough. His brother actually worked for us years ago and then got fired but that's a different story. Ah, but yeah, another podcast does that one. So then now I'm with the consultant and then he says, "I've got your scan here. I can tell from the scan it is 100% testicular cancer. I don't even have to look at you to examine you to know this; I can see it from the scan here. So, obviously your whole world sort of falls down at that moment because anyone saying that you've got cancer is pretty devastating. So, my wife was in tears. I was just genuinely in shock. And then he's like, don't worry, of all the cancers to have this is the best one. That's right. Okay--he's trying to position it that I'm very lucky at this.

06:19.25

Joyce Lofstrom

Right?

06:20.95

Richard Kentish

I didn't feel particularly lucky at the point, so he's like, you are really lucky to have it here because statistically it is curable, and all this sort of stuff like that. So then they whip me in for surgery the following week to have an orchidectomy and have to say we're very lucky in the yeah UK with the NHS, the National Health Service. It's all free and they were absolutely fantastic. I felt like a VIP as I went in there. They all knew I was a pilot; they all knew I had 2 young children and I hadn't even met these people before.

06:44.82

Joyce Lofstrom

Yes.

06:59.40

Richard Kentish

And they've obviously just read my notes, and then they all had a great sense of humor and really looked after me, they very kindly gave me a prosthetic instead of just having one [testicle]. So, I look symmetrical in that respect. And then after that, that was the end of February, then March, I was in recovery for that point and then Covid hit because in March in the UK, lockdown 2020 arrived and then usually with that procedure. The orchidectomy,  you're supposed to have a minimum of one cycle of BEP chemotherapy  just to make sure everything is all good, so they then give me--ah, sorry, just before my operation, they gave me a CT scan actually.

Just as I was going under, they said, look, the cancer hasn't spread, then would they perform the operation, so that was good news to sort of go under, so at that point I was only stage one cancer. Um, then they said, due to Covid can nobody really know anything about it then. So, they're like in March time. Okay, BEP chemotherapy, it can affect your lungs or any form chemotherapy can affect your lungs. So, with Covid it affects your lungs. We've tested your bloods, your bloods are saying you haven't got any cancer in your bloods. So, we're suggesting that you don't do the one cycle of chemotherapy because at the moment your bloods are telling us that you're free of cancer. So, on that recommendation I was like you know what? I'm free of cancer. Why risk it, why have chemotherapy?

08:47.14

Joyce Lofstrom

Right? right.

08:49.91

Richard Kentish

[I could] potentially get Covid and get myself into a bigger problem. So we decide, my wife and I, that the best route is to just go down the monitor route, which they do anyway, to have blood tests every three months and scans. Then, lo and behold, three months later my blood test shows that I've got cancer hormones in my blood again. So, it's all happening again. So it's just like, oh again, I was just in the process of getting my medical back.

09:13.75

Joyce Lofstrom

Oh boy.

09:23.37

Richard Kentish

So, I could return to work and normality could resume. So then, yes, that happened in July, then August they were like, you need 3 cycles of BEP chemotherapy; the CT scan is showing that you've got um your lymph nodes, I've got a lump on them. So, do the chemotherapy that started in August; finished October time chemo. It was tough. It was tough because yeah, I've got my children, because I've got 2 daughters. They've shaved my head for me.

09:51.56

Joyce Lofstrom

No, I know it is, I know.

10:01.93

Richard Kentish

And we tried to present it as fun, if that makes sense, so it didn't really harm them or hurt them, which was incredibly hard even thinking about it now, is making me well up. So then yeah, they just thought Daddy had a silly haircut.

10:11.56

Joyce Lofstrom

Um, yeah.

10:20.12

Richard Kentish

With chemotherapy, I was the only one that's allowed to go in due to Covid, so I couldn't do it with anyone--but everyone else is in the same boat. I met some great people. I was very lucky. I felt incredibly lucky when I went for my chemotherapy sessions; BEP chemotherapy is quite intensive. I went in the cycle, works three days on the first week,  three days on the second week, and then just one day on the third week, and then that would start again. So, it was relatively intensive chemotherapy. And the days were full. I was hooked up to a machine for the full eight hours, having all the drugs put into me. So I lost my hair very quickly, even though we shaved my head, but I lost all my hair very quickly and then felt ill quite sickly as well. So that was quite tough. I missed my  youngest daughter's first day at school because I had to do chemotherapy that day--which was incredibly tough. I have to say my wife is the best human being on the planet. I couldn't have done it without her, I couldn't possibly love that woman more than I possibly do right now. She was, well, she is fantastic. Fantastic in every way--so  credit to her holding the family together looking after me. She was working a full-time job at the time; looking back on it, I don't know how she did it? And she she's just generally amazing.

11:49.44

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, I know that support's important. It really is.

11:51.10

Richard Kentish

And I'm very lucky to be married to her. Oh, it really is, it really is the support that she gave me was second to none; because of Covid, I couldn't see my mom, I couldn't see my brothers and sisters--it was completely just us as a family, which was great. Because I love spending time with them but that other support network just wasn't there. It didn't exist during Covid, even the sort of support the hospital gave with the foundation center. It's called, it was all virtual, so it wasn't really face to face stuff. So it really suffered for anyone that was going through cancer treatment during the Covid, very difficult. But good news after my chemotherapy. I had a meeting with a doctor. My wife was there. They talk to us like we've got good news and bad news, what would you like first? So we were like okay, we'll go with the good news please and it's like the good news is you are cancer free. So we were very happy. My wife and I couldn't believe it, both of us crying at that point. And then we were like well, what's the bad news then? So the bad news is unfortunately your tumor grew during your chemotherapy, which it's not supposed to do that. It's supposed to effectively disappear.

13:09.52

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah?

13:27.74

Richard Kentish

So, he's like, it's gone from one centimeter to twelve centimeters now, on your abdominal lymph node, which is quite a large lump now, which sits behind your stomach, which I didn't notice it, I didn't look any different. It's all hidden away so you can't.

13:37.40

Joyce Lofstrom

Right.

13:47.60

Richard Kentish

Can't see any of that stuff; didn't feel any different. My appetite hadn't changed for anything, so it was a bit odd that he's like, now you need an RPLND operation, which is basically to remove these lymph nodes and the tumor, which is pretty large surgery. So, they fully open you up from the middle of your chest all the way down to your pubic bone. They have to enter your abdominal lymph nodes, behind your stomach and attach to your spine, but they have to come in from the front. So they have to move the whole of my bowel out the way, which they did and removed as well. Just temporarily took it out me, removed the tumor, and then removes the other lymph nodes and then put my bowel back together again.

14:30.40

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah.

14:43.50

Richard Kentish

And then, so I was in hospital for a good week. I was had to go into intensive care for a couple of days; again the NHS were fantastic. They really looked after me. I did the operation up in London, and yeah, then after that I could go home, and it was pretty much all good news after that; they'd completely excised the tumor and they tested the nodes and they were all negative, the other nodes that were next to it were. Now in January, I had to go on a low-fat diet, because your abdominal lymph nodes absorb fat and all that sort of stuff, but it was only for a month or so, because I had some liquid there because the lymph nodes didn't know what to do with it. But anyway, they found another way, so that's good.

15:34.20

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah.

15:40.26

Richard Kentish

Yeah, I've been cancer free now for 18 months; I'll be 2 years in October.

15:42.98

Joyce Lofstrom

Wow. Well, that's so interesting about the tumor getting bigger. I guess I have a couple of questions. So, you said when you when you had the the lump in your testicle removed that that there was no sign of cancer in your blood and they recommended 1 round of chemo and then three months later, I guess, whatever was there showed up because then you had to do 3 rounds. Is that right?

16:13.14

Richard Kentish

That's right. Well, because of Covid. Normally you would do one round a chemo to sort of make sure that all it's all being destroyed. Unfortunately, due to Covid, they said let's  not do the risk of that. Let's not do the one round of chemo. So I think if I did do the one round of chemo, I wouldn't have had to have the RPLND operation.

16:35.60

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, and the other thing, if you're are willing to talk about it, is just I think some of the listeners might be interested in your experience with a prosthesis, because I haven't haven't talked to anyone who's mentioned that.

16:48.71

Richard Kentish

Right.

16:54.41

Joyce Lofstrom 

So are you can you just talk about it? I mean, how they just gave it to you, I mean.

16:57.75

Richard Kentish

Yeah, it's no problem at all. The surgeon at the time measured the other one though,  the good one, and then they are [made of] silicon. Very much like a breast implant, I suppose. Yeah, and then they just dropped that in, and they attached it with a cord, so it all sits as it should.

17:27.30

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay, that's interesting because, I think, I don't know how many men are aware of that option. Maybe they are you know at the time of surgery. So it's really not, it's like, I mean, I've had a mastectomy and had not a silicone implant, but just my own fat. You know, they could use that, but I mean, it sounds pretty seamless, so you know to be able to do that at the time of surgery, if that's something that you would want, you know?

17:51.60

Richard Kentish

Yeah, it was pretty straightforward for them, I think, that it didn't seem like an issue at all. They offered it straight away. I didn't have to ask for it. They were really, really good. You wouldn't know that I've got a prosthetic, you just wouldn't, it's so lifelike.

18:04.81

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, I think that's good to know, for any of the people listening. What do you think was your biggest challenge, Richard, when you were going through all of this?

Richard Kentish

Um, biggest challenge. There's quite a few challenges--probably missing the significant points for my children, so, not being able to take my daughter to her first day at school which is like a big moment in any parent's life. That really hurt, because I had to go to hospital for chemo that day and unfortunately, chemo can't wait. You have to have it. Then the effects on the people around me.

18:56.11

Joyce Lofstrom

No, that's okay.

18:56.37

Richard Kentish

Sorry, just welling up a bit here. No, no, it's just, it's good. It's good; I'm quite happy to carry on. It's not a problem, but um, that was hard--like my wife found it very, very hard  seeing me like that, going through the chemotherapy. And she's amazing. Couldn't couldn't love her more. She is amazing woman but that's probably the the biggest thing  I found hard, was, I wasn't worried about myself. Like, it's the other people around you that affects you. Definitely they were the biggest challenges for me.


19:31.77

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, and I think you make a good point as a parent, and you have young children--I mean children of any age, but especially when they're younger and they there are those milestones like that first day of school, which I remember with my boys too. Yeah, it is a big moment and you want to be there. So I know that had to be hard; talk us through your aviation career, because I you know we hooked up on Linkedin and I know you're you're a pilot, and now you're a trainer? Or are you doing both?

20:03.83

Richard Kentish

Yeah I'm flying I'm flying again now. So I got my medical back shortly after my RPLND operation all that sort of stuff. So that post on Linkedin was me being released back to the line as a pilot without being with a trainer or another training Captain. So, yeah, I joined work fifteen years ago. I've been with Ryan [Air] and it's the same business model as Southwest in America, so it's 737s doing shorthaul operations.

20:33.40

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay.

20:41.00

Richard Kentish

We operate into all sorts of airports, all routes. It's basically the European version of that, yeah, but the work is quite hard. Well, rosters 5 on 4 off, and then the 5 on they do work us hard.

20:53.40

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah.

20:59.13

Richard Kentish

I'm very lucky. I went into the training department about ten years ago and started working in the simulator as a training first officer. So not many airlines do training first officers, but we do, and then got my command, then became a training captain, which is training and checking other pilots when we're taking passengers on the line, and then I've been an examiner working in the simulator for about 5 years now. So all the pilots, every pilot needs to have a a check every six months to check that they're competent enough to operate the aircraft. So I do all sorts of horrible things to them in the simulator like engine failures and fires. And then I grade them on how how they do that. So I do a fly as well. And, check and train on the line on the aircraft too. Yeah, it's great;  I do love my job in that respect, it's good. It's very very very good. A lot of fun.

22:02.36

Joyce Lofstrom

So you fly all over Europe, then, is what you're saying?

22:06.20

Richard Kentish

Yes, yeah, all over Europe, so shorthaul, effectively. So our longest flights down to Tenor Reef, which is about four, four and a half hours, something like that, and then come back on the same day.

22:15.70

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, Southwest is what I fly; I usually go to Kansas City, Missouri, where I'm from, but you know it's a very good model, I think, so I didn't know there was one in Europe; so it's good to know that.

22:30.68

Richard Kentish

Yeah, it's basically Ryan Air copied the Southwest model, and then there's another company, Easy Jet, but they use airbuses opposed to Boeings, which are very similar. They're not as big as Ryan Air; nearly five hundred planes now we've got.

22:35.42

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, okay.

22:50.43

Richard Kentish

Um, so yeah, it's constantly expanding.

22:54.54

Joyce Lofstrom

That's great; I mean, you know in my career early, in my business career, I was really afraid of flying and I went to one of my bosses, and he goes, well, you know, I fly a lot and I haven't died yet. But you know and then once you do it a lot, it's okay.

23:05.55

Richard Kentish

Yeah, I said, well, whenever and I meet someone that's afraid of flying I say look…

23:11.93

Joyce Lofstrom

But it just took me a while to get used to flying for business…

23:20.77

Richard Kentish

Ah, been doing it for 15 years and I've been coming home just fine. You know? So yeah, nothing bad happens really in aviation. So it's the safest form of transport isn't it?

23:22.10

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah.

23:29.98

Joyce Lofstrom

It is. Well, I could tell stories, but we're not here for that. So I know the other thing I wanted to ask you about is that you've spent time also helping to build awareness about testicular cancer. I'm gonna read this quote that you had on your Linkedin page--you really want to help inspire people going through cancer treatment and you're on a mission for people to get to know their bodies and get checked if something isn't right. Which is what you did talk about, some of the things you're doing.

23:57.21

Richard Kentish

Exactly. At the moment, just speaking to companies. So a company will effectively do a mental health or mental awareness or health awareness week or something like that and then they'll ask me to come and do a talk and basically do what I'm just doing with you now, just talking about my story and what happened to me and if you do get a cancer diagnosis. It doesn't necessarily mean it's the end; like, you can get cure from it. But the key is to know your body and to identify it early, because if it's identified too late, then obviously the story's a lot different. And to sort of break the taboo: there's nothing wrong about talking about testicles and breasts.

24:52.97

Joyce Lofstrom

No, there isn't.

24:53.90

Richard Kentish

Things like that because people do shy away from it. You know, and then they don't want to talk about those things and I've done one recently with the company and all the men that were on the call later then check themselves--which that's all I ask. You know,  so just go and check yourself if there's something not right? You've got a lump or one's significantly larger than the other? Go to the doctor and check it--because I didn't have a lump, mine was just bigger than the other. So yes, it can be normal. It usually is normal to have one bigger than the other. But if it's got larger, or changed in size, you need to go to the doctor to get it checked for sure.

25:35.27

Joyce Lofstrom

So why do you think men are hesitant to talk about their health or check themselves or any of that, related with their health?

25:40.95

Richard Kentish

Well, I think it's like a a cultural thing with men, a macho thing and all that sort of stuff. We don't talk about our feelings. If we talk about what's wrong with us and all that sort of stuff. The world is changing in a positive way that, it's not like that so much anymore. But I think people get scared. So if they do find something they sort of just bury their head in the sand and say look, it's not really happening, it's fine. It'll be fine next week-- like I did I did it's only because of my wife; she literally dragged me kicking and screaming.

26:12.44

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah.

26:18.93

Richard Kentish

To the doctor. And she did exactly that, between my wife and my daughter they generally saved my life. So yeah, and the the women in my life saved my life.

26:19.61

Joyce Lofstrom

Ah, well kudos to your wife then, right?

26:36.30

Richard Kentish

Yeah, so any man out there: please check yourself, we're listening to this and then if something's not right, go and tell someone; get it checked out.

26:42.97

Joyce Lofstrom

Yes. So what's next on the horizon for you? You know, down the road? Anything you want to share?

26:49.99

Richard Kentish

Yes, well, just to raise more awareness about this, really. I mean in the UK, I'm sure it's the same in America, November is the sort of testicular cancer push month and everyone grows a mustache--which my wife doesn't allow me to do.

27:01.16

Joyce Lofstrom

Right? Oh no.

27:09.78

Richard Kentish

Ah, but she does she does want me to talk about things like this and obviously push awareness for it. Yeah, so it's just doing more of this really--doing more talks, speaking to more companies, getting more people talking about breasts, testicles, in in a way that it's not embarrassing and then making sure everyone does know their body. So if there is a lump or a change in anything to just go to the GP. In the UK it doesn't cost anything. It's free.

27:40.99

Joyce Lofstrom

Yes, yes, that's a good thing.

27:44.19

Richard Kentish

So you can just go down there and just say look I'm not sure about this and then they'll be like oh, we're not sure either; let's send you for a scan, or they'll be like, it's nothing to worry about. So just if you pull the trigger early enough, cancer is completely curable.

27:57.80

Joyce Lofstrom

Right? So I have one final question I've been starting to ask people on the podcast. Do you have a song that when you hear, you just have to sing along to it?

28:06.63

Richard Kentish

Wow that is a good question. Um, is there a song I have to sing along to? Well, being a pilot, it's probably the Danger Zone from Top Gun. That usually gets me going if I hear that on the radio, when I'm driving to and from work ,or anything like that.

28:28.28

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay, that's good that who's who is the artist on that one, do you know?

28:30.88

Richard Kentish

Ah, you're testing me now, I can't remember now. 

28:39.98

Joyce Lofstrom

That's okay cause I don't know either. But well, we'll look for that.  I really enjoyed our conversation, Richard. Thanks so much for taking the time to do it and for all you're doing with testicular cancer--I'm sure it's helping. So thank you.

28:57.97

Richard Kentish

Oh no, thank you for inviting me along. I really appreciate talking about it and you allowing me to share my story. Actually, one thing I forgot to mention actually, was um, the power of social media.

29:03.75

Joyce Lofstrom

Oh yeah, go ahead.

29:16.16

Richard Kentish

It actually helped me quite a lot through my journey. Because I documented my chemotherapy through Instagram, so I would upload, and it was very honest--so I didn't hold back or anything like that.

29:17.53

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay.

29:35.38

Richard Kentish

And it's on my Instagram, if I'm allowed to mention it--people can go and have a look. Dad Taking Flight is the handle. Yeah, so I've documented it there so they can go through my whole cancer journey in that respect.

29:37.13

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay.

29:52.20

Richard Kentish

And then follow me through the the trials and tribulations that we're going through with Covid, and what was going on with my chemotherapy and all that sort of stuff.  The amount of love and support that I got through doing that was overwhelming.  Absolutely overwhelming. So social media--very much a positive in that respect. I know it has got a lot of negatives at the moment in the press and things like that, and what it does to mental health, but personally, my journey there, it helped me so much because I just received love and support and the same for my wife.

30:33.76

Joyce Lofstrom

I'm very glad you mentioned that. I think people listening would go want to check that out. So thank you.

30:37.56

Richard Kentish

Yeah, check it out and then also, if they're going through a similar thing don't be afraid to put something up there--all you receive back is love, I promise you.

30:47.57

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay, that's a wonderful way to end, Richard, thank you.

30:54.30

Richard Kentish

For sure. Well, thank you so much, Joyce.

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