The Life-Changing Call Matt Guilloty Received While Driving 55 Miles Per Hour

Episode 103

In this episode of It Takes Balls, Matt Guilloty shares his intense journey through stage IIIB non-seminomatous testicular cancer. What he believed was a hydrocele kept growing until his testicle reached “the size of an avocado,” eventually leading to a shocking diagnosis delivered while he was driving on the highway. Matt describes the moment he learned his AFP tumor markers were 3,389, his cancer had spread to lymph nodes and lungs, and he needed BEP chemotherapy.

Matt opens up about the physical and mental toll of four rounds of chemo - nausea, hiccups, fear before each cycle - and how he juggled treatment with grad school. He reflects on finding support through nurses, fellow survivors, and online communities, and how skateboarding helped him stay grounded. Matt also revisits his major post-chemo RPLND surgery and his long recovery back to mobility and strength.

Now nearly three years into surveillance, Matt shares what the experience taught him about early detection, trusting his oncology team, and staying positive through fear.