I was 16 and having the time of my life on exchange in the USA when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I was convinced I was going to die. Facing death is scary, it makes you realize how fragile you are. I was terrified of being forgotten and not being able to love my family anymore. I immediately returned to Denmark for treatment. During chemotherapy, I once shared my hospital bedroom with a boy my age. Meeting people in the hospital is often awkward, since the ice breaker usually is “So which type of cancer do you have?”. It turned out he had a cancer growing in his knee and was about to get his leg amputated. I realised my situation wasn’t that bad after alI. If I survived I would still have both my legs. Positive thinking became my most important tool in coping with the stress that I developed from the diagnosis.

I promised myself that if life granted me a second chance, I’d live it in the most meaningful way possible. So here I am, free of cancer for over 6 years. I don’t know how long I’ll be living and neither do you. But I do know that I’m not going to waste my time here on earth.