‘I’ve got to stay alive’: Matthew Waples determined to beat testicular cancer, start own business

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Matthew Waples is pumped up about the possibility of launching his own graphic design business. 

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The craft has been his stock and trade for more than 20 years; he’s worked for others, is currently freelancing and is now determined to put more of his personal stamp on product. “I know the T-shirt industry … it’s kind of my niche,” says the Sault Ste. Marie man. 

A business-owner buddy has agreed to back the project. Everything appears geared to go. 

There’s just one wrench.  

Waples, 43, was diagnosed earlier this year with testicular cancer and is being further tested for what could be adrenal-gland cancer. It is, indeed, a major setback, but Waples says he’s determined to see the ordeal through and come out the other side happy and successful, working for himself doing what he loves. 

“Now I’ve got to stay alive,” Waples told The Sault Star in an interview. “That’s a carrot that makes me … I have a goal and a dream. So, once I get through this, I have something to do. It’s keeping me wanting to stay here.” 

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Waples said he’s been told the testicular cancer appears to have been initially caused by a mass on his adrenal gland above the kidney. Currently, surgery to remove the affected testicle is slated for December, followed by chemotherapy. But things may happen sooner given grim news Waples recently received. 

On Nov. 18, Waples went to hospital with “severe” testicle pain and was told the tumour had doubled in size in only two months. Surgery may very well be bumped up if pain does not subside. 

Waples remembers well – and exactly what he was doing – the day things really began to go south. 

It was June 24, the day the Florida Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history with a 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Waples, who drums, was moving instruments with a friend when he began experiencing severe pain. 

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“I was like, ‘What the f#@k is going on here?’” he recalled thinking.  

He initially thought it was hernia; drumming and playing goalie in hockey when he was younger have yielded back problems for years. 

“I don’t like to go to the hospital unless I have to,” Waples said.  

But a nurse friend insisted he go to the emergency department just to be sure. Testing ultimately revealed the cancer.  

Naturally, Waples was shocked and scared. But there were warning signs. Over the past year, he suffered “significant” weight loss and took it upon himself to at least start eating better. 

“When I was younger, I ate garbage, and I didn’t take care of myself, and I put the wrong things in my body,” he said. “And I think that, in part, that’s why things are happening now.” 

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His past has prompted him to be public about his illness. 

“There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, but you’ve got to turn things around if you want to survive,” Waples said. 

Candour also serves another purpose. The testicle removal will likely take place in the Sault, but further procedures and treatment will likely have to be carried out in southern Ontario, likely Toronto. Waples, who is on ODSP and doesn’t currently have a vehicle, fears flights to Toronto will be beyond his means. Northern Health Travel Grant benefits alone wouldn’t likely cut it, either, as travel costs are shouldered up front. 

“And I have zero means of getting it before the fact,” Waples said. 

Currently single, he also wants to have sperm frozen should he decide, later on, to start a family. 

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“I don’t know what the future holds … I’ve always wanted a family,” Waples said. “If the drive that I have to accomplish everything after this life-changing thing, if that is to come to fruition and I meet a girl who is 10 years younger than me and wants a family, and I can even give the possibility of that.” 

A GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/MattWaplesCancer) has been set up. As of Monday morning, $2,008 was raised toward an $8,108 goal. 

“I’m not looking for sympathy,” Waples said. “Every single one of us is going to face something in our lives I’m no more special or different than anybody else. But I’ve got two or three weeks to make things happen or they’re not going to happen.” 

[email protected]    

On X: @JeffreyOugler 

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