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Westley Roach is my brother in law, he was a 28 year old man from Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. He was popular, kind, funny and well known to many. He had a beautiful little girl of 7 and was in a happy relationship with his fiancé Louise. Life was good until in February 2006, Westley was admitted to hospital, he had testicular cancer. He had known of this lump for 3 months but was too embarrassed to go to the doctors. The course of action was a left orchiectomy (removal of testicle); this was done in March 2006. This was followed by 2 cycles of chemotherapy, where his hair fell out but was fortunate not to be too ill.

During a scan after surgery, Westley’s lymph glands were worryingly enlarged, this was not good news, it had spread.

This time treatment would be more aggressive, he had to have a lymph node dissection which basically means surgery to remove the glands. Even though this left Westley with a scar from the top of his chest right to his belly button, we were told everything was successful.

Again, during a routine post surgery scan, surgeons delivered a disheartening blow; it was still there and could not be removed. Doctors spoke from many hospitals and an aggressive high dose chemotherapy was given, which made Westley ill, this meant many trips in and out of hospital.

Six cycles of chemotherapy and it had done nothing, Chemo was not working.

Another operation was arranged in London’s Royal Marsden Hospital in April 2008. Even though this operation removed once again the tumours, they could not get to them all and were still in Westleys body. Since the operation, Westley’s health deteriorated rapidly, he was very ill, his weight had plummeted and he was in and out of hospital more than any times before.

As doctors have told us there was no standard therapy available, we set up a trust to raise money for him to be able to see a more advanced doctor in either Europe or America, but unfortunately Westley lost his battle with Cancer on Monday the 29th December 2008 aged 28 years.

He fought so hard for nearly 3 years but his body couldn't take any more, it had finally beaten him and he went peacefully at Ty Bryngwyn Hospice with his family at his side.

Like your story, it gave me shivers as it was so real to what we experienced. Westley’s friends all came around his bed in the last few hours of his life and we put on his favourite CD (The beatles) and they all were singing and telling him stories about their mad nights out! Even though Westley was not awake he could most certainly here us as he was trying to smile.

His funeral was massive and it was his wish to have a fancy dress party at his wake (so typical of him), so we carried out his wish at what a night! We left his ashes to rest on January 26th and it now has hit me that I will never see here his voice again.

To say the last 3 years has been hard is an understatement and even writing this, I just cannot believe he has gone! I look at his daughter and it see so much of her father in her that it’s a blessing she was born.

Since his death, I am trying to stay positive and raise awareness for other young men; even now it still shocks me when I ask men do they check? and my response is nearly always ‘yes I do check but I wouldn’t go to the doctors if I did find a lump’!

We intend to carry out his final wish to raise awareness on testicular cancer and are continuing to fundraise in memory of a wonderful fiancé, dad and great friend

Stephanie Roach