I survived testicular cancer — then I lost the friend who truly understood
A Bond Forged in Battle: How One Friendship Changed Everything
I survived testicular cancer - Tom Williams had known Callan Rogers for barely twelve months when tragedy struck, yet the depth of their connection defied the brevity of their acquaintance. Two young men, both navigating the turbulent waters of testicular cancer, found in each other a rare understanding that transcended words. Their story is one of resilience, shared struggle, and the profound impact a single friendship can have on a life.
Two Warriors, One Fight
Their paths crossed through The Robin Cancer Trust, an organization dedicated to supporting those affected by testicular, ovarian, and germ-cell cancers. For Tom, now 28, meeting Callan felt like finding someone who spoke his language without needing to explain. "He was also in that war," Tom reflected, "so you both understand what you went through without saying it."
Tom's own journey began in 2019 when he noticed a lump on his left testicle. Drawing on his father's experience—having lost a friend to the same condition—Tom didn't hesitate to visit his GP. The diagnosis came swiftly: stage two testicular cancer. In January 2020, he underwent surgery to remove his left testicle, followed by nine weeks of chemotherapy. By May, during the height of the global pandemic, Tom received the news that brought him relief—he was in remission.
The Weight of Recovery
Returning to work felt urgent. In June 2020, as lockdown restrictions began to ease, Tom resumed his position in sales at a lettings company. Looking back, he acknowledges the timing wasn't ideal. "It was way too soon," he admitted. "I was just trying to get back to some sort of normality."
He channeled his energy into physical goals, including running the Brighton Marathon that September in support of Cancer Research UK. But once the race was complete and the finish line crossed, Tom found himself confronting emotions he had pushed aside. "I was doing the Brighton Marathon that September, so I thought, 'okay, that gives me focus, I can work on that,'" he explained. "However, once he'd completed the race — in support of Cancer Research UK — and no longer had a set goal to look towards, Tom was forced to deal with a 'build-up of emotions that [he] probably didn't deal with at the time.'"
What followed was what Tom describes as a mental breakdown. On an ordinary Saturday evening, overwhelming feelings surfaced. "It was just a regular Saturday night, and I had this weird thing come over me," he recalled. "I began pushing the table away, sobbing with my hands in my face. I've never cried like that."
A New Connection
Thankfully, Tom reached out to MacMillan, who provided fifteen counseling sessions that proved invaluable. Around the same period, through a family friend named Darren Couchman—who serves as Community Engagement Manager at The Robin Cancer Trust—Tom was introduced to Callan.
They met while filming a video for the charity in early 2024. Both hailing from Essex, they quickly bonded over their mutual commitment to fitness. Callan, who worked in fire testing, maintained an intense exercise routine. "He was big into his fitness because of his fire testing job; he wanted to be fit for it and eat clean," Tom noted. "He would finish his job really early after a couple of hours and go to the gym and spend all day in the gym, or all afternoon in the gym, so he couldn't understand why he got cancer because he was really fit."
Despite Callan's demanding treatment schedule, which made arranging meetings challenging, the two maintained regular contact through messages. They attended an MMA event together—a hobby Tom embraced after Callan humorously suggested it would help him release aggression on the rugby pitch.
Honoring a Legacy
Callan's cancer eventually progressed to stage four, and he passed away in October 2024 at the age of 28. Tom, who had initially wanted to avoid the funeral, ultimately attended to pay his respects. "I wanted to just deny it, I didn't want to accept that it was real," he shared. "But, deep down, I knew that I had to go and show my respects."
At the service, Tom felt a profound sense of isolation. "If it's a family member that passes away, you can confide in your brothers, or your uncles, your aunties, or somebody. Whereas I was feeling all this grief, and I didn't know who to talk to."
Today, Tom continues to honor Callan's memory through the #runforCal initiative—a sponsored ten-kilometer run around London that brings together friends and family each year. He also reflects on their WhatsApp conversations with wonder. "It's quite mad that he had that sort of impact on me in such a short time," he said. "When we met, he was advanced. We both knew he didn't have a lot of time. But he also wanted to meet someone like me who'd gone through it and could inspire him."
"We also did a run with all his friends and family, and he raised thousands of pounds for charity and for his treatment," Tom added.
"I didn't really want to go to the funeral," he explained. "I wanted to just deny it, I didn't want to accept that it was real. But, deep down, I knew that I had to go and show my respects."