As he continues to recover from an offseason battle with testicular cancer, one which ended with a surgery to remove a tumor, Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua explained why he went public with his diagnosis back on Sept. 17.
First and foremost is the stigma around testicular cancer, where men may pass off abnormalities until symptoms of cancer become significant and severe. Joshua went to get checked and was treated right away, and by going public with that information, he is hoping that others will be inspired to do the same.
"“I don’t know what the future holds, but if it helps one person, I’m glad that I could help them.""Canucks forward Dakota Joshua
"I'm feeling good. I'm getting better every day. Obviously, it's been a tough road to get back in the mix, but, no, it's going good." Joshua said after practice Monday. "I'm just happy to be back out there and getting after it with the guys.
Read: Dakota Joshua undergoes surgery for a cancerous lump
Joshua, 28, has yet to appear in a game this season for the Canucks as he continues to recover and condition himself following the testicular cancer diagnosis. "I feel better every day. It's still hard to pinpoint when that time will be," Joshua said of a potential return to the Canucks lineup. "Getting better and making those strides every day is where I'm at."
Joshua posted career highs in goals (18), assists (14), and points (32) in the 2023-24 season, which earned him a much-deserved four-year, $13 million contract extension this summer. With the Canucks going through what is very much a rollercoaster start to the 2024-25 season, the 6-foot-2 power forward's steadiness, physicality, and compete level have been sorely missed on the ice early on.
"It's really hard to put into words, kind of something that you can't really be prepared for. The support from my family, friends, the fans, the organization as a whole; everybody's been so nice and very caring, which I love to see, and made the tough time a lot easier.
"Until you're in that position, you can't really describe it. It's obviously scary, no matter what age. I'm just thankful and happy to be here standing in front of (the media) today. Very hard to go through, but thankful for how it's turned out so far."