Cancer was just one chapter in his story

A graduate of Ryerson‘s theatre program, Daniel Schneiderman was living in downtown Toronto working as an actor in 2005, when he happened to notice a hard, pea-sized lump on his testicle. At the time, Daniel was a totally healthy 27-year-old, but something told him he should get it checked out right away.

After an ultrasound, Daniel was told all signs indicated the lump was cancer, and that the testicle would have to be removed. After surgery, Daniel learned that he faced the best possible scenario for those with the disease: the cancer had been caught early, it hadn’t spread, and was completely contained to the testicle.

Following his surgery, he started a surveillance plan whereby he would be monitored regularly over five years. He chose the surveillance plan, and has been living cancer-free ever since.

Given his passion for the theatre, it wasn’t long before Daniel started thinking about bringing his battle with testicular cancer to the stage. He decided to chronicle his experience and raise awareness of the disease by writing a one-man show called “My Left Nut.”

An honest, humorous portrayal of what young men go through when battling testicular cancer, Daniel toured the show to high schools across Canada, advocating the importance of early detection and early diagnosis, and eliciting more than a few laughs along the way.