Be Vocal - From Testicular Cancer to Volleyball Championships to Giving Back - Season 2, Episode 2

Owen McAndrews is a testicular cancer survivor, athlete, and experienced fundraiser for cancer. Diagnosed in high school with testicular cancer and during volleyball championships, Owen continued playing volleyball then and during college, where his team won championships in 2014 and 2015. Giving back became part of his life as an active participant in Movember and the American Cancer Society. Owen is a Solutions Engineer for Sprout Social in Seattle and leads a team to support clients and their social communication strategies. Listen to Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer, a podcast from the Max Mallory Foundation. 

Transcript

Welcome to Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer, where cancer survivors, caregivers, and others touched by cancer share their stories. The Max Mallory Foundation presents this podcast in honor and memory of Max Mallory, who died at age 22 from testicular cancer. I'm your host, Joyce Lofstrom, a young adult and adult cancer survivor, and Max's mom.

JOYCE: Hi, this is Joyce. And with me today is Owen McAndrews. Owen is a testicular cancer survivor and athlete and an experienced fundraiser for the American Cancer Society in Movember. He's also right now a solutions engineer for Sprout Social in Seattle. Owen leads a team to support his clients and their social communications. So, Owen, I'm so glad that you could join me today. Thank you.

OWEN: Yeah, thanks for having me, Joyce. I'm really happy to be here and really looking forward to our discussion today.

JOYCE: Great. I am too. I always like to start the podcast when I talk to someone who survived testicular cancer to ask you to share your story, what happened, when, anything you want to share with our audience.

OWEN: Yeah, absolutely. And I do think that's a great place to start for us. So I was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in April of 2011. I was a junior in high school. I attended St. Edward High School in Cleveland, Ohio. It's an all-boys Catholic institution. So when I got that diagnosis, obviously it's a scary time, you know, being a young man. So right after that, I had my orchiectomy. And then shortly after that, we decided to go with the surgical approach. So rather than going through chemo, my urologist decided to really be aggressive. And from there, I had my lymph nodes removed in my abdomen so they could do a quick check, make sure that the cancer hadn't spread to other areas in my body. And I got the clean bill of health, the cancer free diagnosis in June of 2011. So pretty quick turnaround there. Obviously it's a short period of my life, but since then I've really just kind of devoted my focus to educating young men, on testicular cancer and really just some of the ways that they can keep up on their own health and just make sure that they're keeping an eye out for any of the signs so they could get ahead of it just like I did.

JOYCE: So I have a couple of I guess questions around what you just told us and first I know just in reading about your story that you were at Cleveland Clinic right for your treatment?

OWEN: Yep, I was.

JOYCE: And I think you know, I've talked about this with other people just about the choice of where to go and how it turned out for you. Cleveland Clinic is one of the best medical centers in the country. Anything you want to share with people about that experience would be helpful.

OWEN: Yeah, you know, it's funny you bring that up because I was visiting my parents last weekend. They're in Southwest Florida now, but we were actually kind of reminiscing almost on just the level of care that we got at the clinic and kind of, for lack of a better phrase, how that's jaded me a little bit within the healthcare system now, just because of the level of care that I received.

My urologist was Dr. Ryan Bergland. He's just a fantastic doctor and really kind of led us through that whole experience. And even just the clinic overall, like the level of care that they give to each individual patient, I mean, it's obviously second to none. So just growing up, really kind of going to each one of those appointments, those checkups thereafter, the clinic always made us feel like part of the family and really just made us feel welcome. So I have nothing but great things to say about that institution and just the level of care that we got there.

JOYCE: That's good to hear. And I think for any of our listeners, I know people travel to go for surgery and consultation, so I think it's important to hear what you have to say, Owen, and I'm so glad it was a great experience for you. It's an amazing campus. I've toured it just once, but it's impressive. I'm glad it was all turned out so well for you there. The other question I have is, you were 17 and in high school. I guess you did find a lump. How did you decide that you needed to get checked out?

OWEN: Yeah, I did. And I think that's a really important question to ask. And one that people genuinely tend to avoid, where I think just in the work that I've done with Movember, I've always tried to address that, like, you know, how did you find it? And what were the steps that you took? It was a lump. And, you know, it's just I wish I had a better kind of like phrase for it, but when you know something doesn't feel right, you should really kind of act on your gut there and really get it checked out. So, you know, 17-year-old kid, I come down to the dinner table in front of my mom and dad. And like, naturally it's an awkward conversation to have, or at least it feels like one. But I'm obviously really glad that I did. So I let them know like, hey, I've kind of felt something, something doesn't feel quite right. I think that we should go get this checked out.

And we did. And obviously found it early enough where it hadn't spread. I mean, I think even when I found it, it was probably even pre-stage one, if not very, very early stage one. But that extra time that I had really saved me in the long run. just from the approach that we took, that surgical approach rather than chemo, because I caught it so early, that's why we were afforded that extra time and those extra resources. So I would really just recommend to the younger people out there who might be listening, you just got to be vocal. You got to continue to check yourself. And if something does feel wrong or something does feel a little bit off, go with your gut and get it checked out. Worst case scenario, they tell you it's nothing, but best case, you might catch something early. And again, get yourself afforded that extra time that you might need.

JOYCE: That's really a great description. And I think the way you say it, the extra time, because it was so early, you didn't have to have chemo. And that RPLND surgery is brutal. I know Max went through that, too, but there you are. You had that done and it hadn't spread. And I think that's great advice to be vocal. It's also really easy to understand. So the other thing I was impressed about when I read about you on was just your athletic career in volleyball. So tell us a little bit about that from going from St. Edwards and then on to Loyola Chicago, and how the cancer affected your next step in volleyball.

OWEN: Sure, yeah. So, you know, as a young volleyball player, when I was in high school, I was afforded the opportunity to play with our youth national team. So we got to represent the United States in Mexico and really that opportunity just opened a ton of doors for me in terms of what was next with my college choices. So the time on the youth national team really opened up a lot of doors for me when it came to like my next steps for deciding on college.

Loyola was in my top five Jesuit institution. They had a really great kind of up-and-coming volleyball program. And really the ways that that cancer diagnosis kind of factored into my decision-making there was I wanted to still be close enough to my family and still have access to that great care that I got at Cleveland Clinic. So Chicago was kind of that natural choice for me. Far enough away from my parents in Cleveland, it was about a five-and-a-half-hour drive. So I hope they're not listening, but [to] keep them at a bit of an arm's length away. You know, I was looking at some other schools like out in California. And once I got that cancer diagnosis, that just kind of made me really just want to be closer to my family and closer to that care. But at Loyola, I was lucky enough to win two division one national championships for volleyball, 2014, 2015. And obviously, you know, having that experience with testicular cancer, that's where I got started with the Movember Foundation and just doing some fundraising in that regard around men's health. So really, that's kind of how it all played out for me from high school into college.

JOYCE: So I have to ask you, this is just an off question, but I know Sister Jean was the big basketball advocate. How was she with volleyball at Loyola?

OWEN: Yeah, you know, I like to say that I knew Sister Jean before her worldwide fame. She was, believe it or not, she kind of ran like our, we had like a shuttle that took us from our Lakeshore campus to downtown where all the business classes were. And Sister Jean was kind of making sure that nobody would cut the shuttle line. She made sure that everybody felt good in line. So that was my kind of first experience with her in college. Once I graduated and we made it to the Final Four that year, I mean, to see her, like, meteoric rise to fame was incredible. And I think she just celebrated, like, her 102nd birthday or something like that. Yeah, I think that’s right. Pretty recently. Yeah, so she's still kicking.

JOYCE: Yeah, I know. We went down to the Loyola bookstore, the Lakeshore campus, and picked up a couple of Sister Jean buttons that first year. So it's fun. But anyway, we'll go back to our topic, but tell me a little bit about your family and the support you had during your journey, because I'm interested in this just because you were young. I mean, you were still in high school, and that's, I'll call it a burden. It's a burden anytime, but for someone so young, I think it had to be very challenging.

OWEN: Absolutely, and you know, one thing about my family was this wasn't our first run-in with a cancer diagnosis in the family. So, you know, when I was way, way younger, probably about fifth or sixth grade, my uncle Pat was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread. So he actually passed away when I was, you know, like I said, in fifth or sixth grade. And then a year after that, my grandfather also passed away from a cancer diagnosis. So when I was diagnosed at 17. I think my whole family kind of took a collective breath and said, Oh God, here we go again.

But that said, I think that that just kind of brought us closer as a family unit, as I kind of worked through what that meant for me. And just really having them there, my mom, my dad, my sister in that just kind of day to day of, you know, you don't really know what the next doctor's visit is going to bring or anything like that. Just kind of having them there to back me up. made such a huge difference. And even in that kind of recovery from the RPL&D surgery, or even the orchiectomy that I had, really just kind of having them there for me was huge. And they continue to support me in the fundraising that I'm doing, or even just the outreach that I'm trying to do today. So just having that strong family unit behind me made such a huge difference.

JOYCE: Yeah, I think it does too. I'm glad you could share that. People, they're interested in hearing it, but I, you know, when you reflect to you on what got you through X in life, whether it's illness or whatever it might be. I think a strong family support group makes a big difference. How about your work in fundraising? And again, you started pretty young at giving back to testicular cancer and cancer in general. Talk about, you know, some of the things you've done fundraising-wise.

OWEN: Yeah. So, I've been kind of involved with the Movember Foundation on and off for the last like seven or eight years or so. On top of that as well, during my time at Loyola, I was lucky enough to get invited to speak at a Luminaria ceremony for the American Cancer Society. That's when we were doing our Relay for Life at the Loyola campus. So I got to just kind of tell my story in front of a group of students who were involved in that Relay for Life. After I was kind of given that clean bill of health, I thought that I had just a real opportunity in front of me to share my story and let people know that they're not alone. And I think that's something, you know, alongside the support that I received from my family and friends, having that outlet to connect with people in that way has really helped me just kind of continue life after that diagnosis and really just put a purpose behind what I'm doing in my day-to-day.

So Movember, that's really the foundation that I got started with for raising money around men's health. Their whole focus is just lightening the conversation about men's health. So not just testicular cancer, but also things like prostate cancer, suicide prevention, mental health, things like that. And what I really was kind of drawn to that foundation for was the whole idea is you grow a mustache for the month of November. So put yourself in my shoes as a college kid, you know, coming home for the Thanksgiving holiday and showing up with a stupid mustache on my face. Right. Like imagine the conversations there, but that stupid mustache gives you an opportunity to say, oh, it's actually for men's health. And here's where you can donate. So I think that that's kind of why I was drawn to it. It just brings some levity to the conversation around a pretty serious topic that I think a lot of men end up avoiding.

JOYCE: That's great. I think the mustache, it's visible and there's so many different looks of the mustache. I've seen the pictures just this year and previous years. I think it's kind of fun to do something like that. It's different.

OWEN: It is. And honestly, also great about it is, yeah, it allows you to have those conversations. But in my specific case, I had a teammate come to me my freshman year at Loyola and they said, hey, you know, I'm thinking about doing Movember, would love to get the team involved. I know that, you know, you obviously were diagnosed with testicular cancer. Do you want to help me spearhead it? And I obviously jumped at that opportunity. But even for a group of, you know, 18 college-age guys to have a group of huge, you know, six foot five plus volleyball players walking around campus with mustaches, I feel like that's a great way to get your message out there and just kind of spread the word about men's health. So for us, it really worked out because we had a group who was willing to wear the mustache for a month and maybe take some heat from some of their friends, their girlfriends, their families, but all for a good cause.

JOYCE: Now, I want to go back to what I said at the beginning about Sprout Social. I'm going to ask you to tell us what Sprout Social is and just what you do on your job. But I have to mention that when I saw your bio, Max, my son, in his first job had been using Sprout Social for some of his communication work. And I remember just talking with him and going, Max, what's Sprout Social? So now it's your turn.

OWEN: Yeah, great question. It's one that I get asked often. So Sprout Social is a social media management platform. We help all different kinds of businesses just manage their social channels, whether that's publishing, engagement, reporting, social listening, things like that. We are a software that brands put in place just to manage their efforts on social all in one place.

JOYCE: Okay. Very good explanation. And so what do you do? Tell me about your job.

OWEN: Right. What do I do? That's also a good question. So I am a solutions engineer at Sprout. What that means is I help our sales team position the product in a way that resonates with our prospective customers. So our account executives will come to our team on solutions engineering and say, hey, we’ve got this customer, they want to do X, Y, Z. Can you show them how to accomplish that within Sprout?" So that's a huge part of my job is just demonstrating the product, what it can do, and then answering any questions or addressing any feedback that those customers might have for our product team and for our sales team as well.

JOYCE: Okay. I've used different services like that in my PR career, and it's a very important job to be able to do that and help people understand the benefits. that kind of measurement. So kudos to you for being able to do that and help people. So you kind of talked about, you know, what your advice would be to men who just men in general about, you know, being aware of testicular cancer and how to check themselves and so forth. What's your opinion on talking about your health? You touched on that too, but why do you think men are hesitant to really go to the doctor or talk about concern? Any mental health concerns, as you mentioned, any thoughts on that?

OWEN: Yeah, I mean, that is the million-dollar question, isn't it, Joyce? I wish I could put my finger on why men are so hesitant to talk about their health, not only their physical health, but their mental health as well. And I don't know, I think it could just be a fear of being vulnerable. Like, guys, if you're listening, I got a message for you. It's okay to be vulnerable with people. It's okay to talk about yourself. It's okay to not be okay, for lack of a better phrase.

Since my diagnosis with cancer, I think I've obviously had some time to reflect on just the why behind it is so uncomfortable. And, you know, as I've kind of chatted through it with you today, Joyce, I think it just boils down to being comfortable and being vocal with your partner, your family, whoever it may be, whoever that support system is for you. If you need help, ask for that help. You're not being a burden. You're not putting an extra onus on anyone or asking anyone to take care of you. It's okay to ask for help. And I think a lot of men struggle with that for some reason. And I hope that foundations like Movember, American Cancer Society, whatever it may be, even just conversations among friends, I hope that we can start to normalize that vulnerability a little bit more and asking for help among men when they do need it.

JOYCE: That's just such a good summary of how to move ahead with this. So I hope people that are listening heed your advice. So my final question is, what's ahead for you? Any things you'd like to share, whether it's related to cancer or career, anything that's of interest?

OWEN: Yeah, so I guess my biggest, like, endeavor so far is you mentioned that I'm in Seattle now. I've only been in Seattle for about three months. Prior to that, obviously I went to school at Loyola Chicago, stuck around after graduation for about five years or so after that. So I'm really just kind of wrapping up my time in one city and moving to another. So what's next for me is really just kind of settling into Seattle. getting to know the city a little bit more, kind of exploring outdoors, getting some hiking in, and all those kinds of good activities there. But really just hoping to kind of make a mark here in this city, just like I did in Chicago. So whether that means more fundraising for Movember or other organizations or, you know, setting myself apart at Sprout in my current role, I'm just really excited to kind of make my mark on a new city and learn a new place on a new coast of the country.

JOYCE: That sounds great. I've never been to Seattle, but I've heard it's a beautiful place and wonderful place to live. I know they have lots of good coffee. I'm a coffee addict.

OWEN: Good coffee, good seafood as well. Can't say enough good things about the seafood out here.

JOYCE: Oh, that's great. You're on the coast, so that'll work. Well, thank you. I really appreciate that time you spent with me today and just sharing your story and hopefully helping some other people, the men, caregivers. you are listening. So maybe down the road, I'll have you back and just get an update on what's going on.

OWEN: Yeah, I hope so. Please do. And again, Joyce, it was my pleasure. Thanks so much for having me on. And, you know, just hoping that this conversation can shed some light on my story, but also maybe give some of those out there the confidence that they might need to have those conversations and be open, be vulnerable. But again, thanks so much for having me.

JOYCE: Thank you. Thank you for joining me today on Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer from the Max Mallory Foundation. Go to maxmalloryfoundation.com to learn more about testicular cancer, to donate and send your suggestions for guests on the podcast. And join me next time for Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer.

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