38 Years of Testicular Cancer Survivorship: Boston Marathon, A Daughter, Career, and Giving Back

Jim Hohman had a terrible cough after he ran the 1986 Boston Marathon. He went to the doctor, who also decided to conduct a general physical. That exam saved his life, Jim says, because the doctor found a lump on his testicle. He visited the urologist on Saturday and his orchiectomy surgery on Monday. After a few months, his blood tests showed a potential return of the cancer. It did return, and Jim managed chemo treatments.

He shares his story of running the 1988 Boston Marathon - after treatment for testicular cancer, getting married, having a daughter, raising his daughter as a single dad, managing a career, volunteering at the local YMCA and other organizations...and enjoying life.

Listen to previous Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer podcast episodes from the Max Mallory Foundation.

Transcript

38 Years of Testicular Cancer Survivorship: Boston Marathon, Daughter, Career and Giving Back

Season 4 – Episode 4  - Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer 

[Introduction] ​

[00:00:00] Welcome to Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer, a podcast where testicular cancer survivors, caregivers, and others who have navigated the cancer journey share their stories. The podcast comes to you from the Max Mallory Foundation, a nonprofit family foundation focused on educating about testicular cancer in honor and in memory of Max Mallory, who died in 2016 at the young age of 22 from testicular cancer.

[00:00:39] Had he survived, Max wanted to help young adults with cancer. This podcast helps meet that goal. Here is your host, Joyce Lofstrom, Max's mom and a young adult cancer survivor. 

[Joyce Lofstrom] ​

[00:02:00] Hi, this is Joyce. And with me today is Jim Homan, and he learned he had testicular cancer after completing the Boston Marathon in 1986. he saw his doctor for a lingering cough, which led to a physical exam. And so, he's with us today to share his testicular cancer story.

[00:01:25] I'll let him fill in all the details about his diagnosis in life after cancer. So, Jim, I'm happy you could be with me today. 

[Jim Hohman] ​

[00:01:34] Thank you, Joyce. Yeah, I'll give you a little bit of my story. So, in 1986, I ran the best Boston Marathon and have always been a good runner. But you can push it for a marathon when you're in your early thirties.

[00:01:46] But a bit after that, in the fall of 1986, I had this terrible cough and couldn't shake it. So, they convinced me at work. I worked for a bank where I saw a doctor. So luckily, I went to a doctor who said I had a bad cough and gave me something to help with that. But then he said I was always healthy and never went to the doctor.

[00:02:08] Well, let's do a quick physical. And really, I, and again, I'm convinced that my doctor saved my life because I had never heard of testicular cancer. I knew one of my testicles was a little bigger than the other, but it was no pain. So, he did a quick physical and said, you got a problem here. I said? So, he said, I want you to go up to the local hospital in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, 

[00:02:27] and get checked right away. So, I went up to the urologist, I believe, and this doctor said, you have testicular cancer. I go; I'd never heard of it. That was on a Saturday. My actual doctor's appointment was on a Saturday morning. I went up to the hospital Saturday around noon time.

[00:02:45] And then, Monday was my operation. They wanted to make sure. They would take out the tumor, the testicle, as soon as possible, just so hopefully the cancer doesn't spread. So, I had that operation on a Monday morning after being [00:03:00] diagnosed on a Saturday. I was checked monthly, but they also wanted to check my lymph nodes to make sure the cancer hadn't spread.

[00:03:07] I think I had the large testicle for a while. So, the doctors said, well, let's double-check. They kind of open the stomach. They went and checked the lymph nodes, and luckily, the cancer had not spread at that point. And then, a little later, they do monthly blood tests because they can tell if the cancer has come back or spread.

[00:03:26] I think it was like, this was October, I was diagnosed, so I think it was probably not until almost March of 1987 when they said my markers or the blood test was a little high, that I needed to get a chest X-ray. I did. They could see it in my lungs, which usually is the type that I will go to the lungs.

[00:03:47] They told me that a couple of months earlier. So, it did go to the lungs. I don't know what type it was, but the oncologist said it was an aggressive form of testicular cancer. Chemotherapy almost [00:04:00] immediately. So, this was, I think, kind of late, late March. Within two days, I was at Dana Farber in Boston, getting chemo treatments, obviously to start to shrink the tumor, hopefully to eliminate the tumor over time.

[00:04:15] So, again, I was, I couldn't believe it. Because, again, I'd never heard of that cancer. And all of a sudden, I'm at Dana Farber going through a chemo treatment. And this was, I think, at the end of March in 1987. So, I went through treatment. I was in Dana Farber for about a week at a time.

[00:04:32] They put the chemo in, then I would go home for two weeks, and they're the local hospital, Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg. I would go for shorter treatments and return two weeks later to Dana Farber. I think I was in there about five times, or five weeks, over the spring of 1987. The cancer had shrunk; the tumor in my lung had shrunk. So, they were very positive, but they said they wanted to make sure it could just [00:05:00] be scar tissue, but they wanted to take that out. So, I think that was probably, I'm guessing timewise, maybe May of 1987.

[00:05:10] So they said, we're going to remove part of your lung. They want to make sure the scar tissue is just scar tissue and the cancer doesn't come back. So, they did that. Then, I was monitored monthly for the blood test. And in this type of cancer, they told me if it doesn't come back in five years, you're considered cured.

[00:05:28] Luckily, over five years. It didn't come back. I was considered cured. So anyways, I wanted to train in my mind if I could beat my old time, say, with one and a half or one and three-quarter lungs. I'm not sure how much lung they took out. I said that I would, in my mind, be back. I'd be back to where I was in 1986. So, I trained a lot harder, so I was fortunate.

[00:05:52] In April 1988, I ran the Boston Marathon again and did it in four hours. Previously, I did it in four hours and five [00:06:00] minutes. So, I was extremely happy that, you know, I beat my old time. I was feeling good. I had no other pain or symptoms. And I was back. 

[00:06:10] But the next thing, I wanted to have children. So, I got married in 1989. The doctor did say that because of the chemo treatment, it may be difficult to father a child. So, I was always worried and didn't know if it could ever happen. My ex had one miscarriage, and then, finally, she did get pregnant.

[00:06:30] I was so excited. My daughter was born 13 months after we were married in December of 1990, and I tell people that's the happiest day of my life. I wasn't sure I could have a child. So, she was healthy, and everything went well. My ex left for another state in 1992, I believe.

[00:06:51] My daughter is just a little over a year old, and I raised my daughter by myself, which was good. It was a lot of challenges, but again, it was the best, best [00:07:00] time of my life. She did well in school. She was third in her class in high school out of 130. She went on to Bentley University.

[00:07:08] That's close to Boston As, went to Denver to be a nurse and is now studying to be a nurse practitioner. So, I feel so blessed, and as I mentioned, now that, you know, she has a daughter, Sophia, who's about a year old, So I try to go out every three or four months to see her. Those are the two best parts of my life, seeing my daughter and now my new granddaughter, who's just a year old.

[00:07:33] So, that's the overall story. I feel blessed. But I believe in my heart if I didn't go for that, if I didn't have that cough and see the doctor, the cancer would have spread, and I would probably not be alive today if I didn't luckily have that cough, which I believe had nothing to do with cancer.

[00:07:52] It was just that he just said, well, let's do a physical. So, I feel blessed that I've been able to live a really good life [00:08:00]. And see my daughter, raised my daughter, and now my granddaughter. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:08:05] So, yeah, you are. That's a fascinating story, especially, as you said, the doctor decided to do an exam.

[00:08:13] And, you're like many people I've talked to that have never heard of testicular cancer until they have it. You also are in a great position and medical center with Dana Farber. Was that a deliberate choice, or did your doctor send you? 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:08:27] Yeah, at the college is the Burbank Hospital, which is Fitchburg's about an hour west of Boston.

[00:08:32] She was affiliated with Dana Farber. When I met her after my first surgery, she said, we've got to get you to Dana Farber; luckily, she was affiliated there. She was there one day a week, but she was head of the oncology at Burbank Hospital, a smaller hospital about an hour west of Boston.

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:08:51] So that worked out. Yeah. No, go ahead. I didn't mean to interrupt. I know other people I've interviewed have been to Dana Farber in New York, but it was [00:09:00] very convenient that it was right there. And that's, in Boston, like an hour away. 

[00:09:07] What do you think was your biggest challenge throughout your cancer journey?

[Jim Hohman]

[00:09:11] Well, as the doctor said, I had a good chance of survival because they caught it early. He said it's going to be a tough year. It was funny that, in those days, people didn't shave their heads. So, I had a toupee on. And I'm bald anyway so I would be walking down Main Street in Fitchburg with my toupee on, and my friends wouldn't even know who I was.

[00:09:33] That was kind of, you know, a funny story. And, you know, getting through the year. After three or four months of just checking my blood test, I was disappointed when the doctor called me and said, you know, your markers are high; we want to do a test. And so, when the cancer came back, that was a little disappointing that I had to go through chemo.

[00:09:56] I thought maybe that they had taken the tumor out; they checked my nodes, and they were clear. I was hoping maybe this is it. It did come back, unfortunately. But the doctor told me since the cancer was caught early and was smaller in my lungs, I would get the treatment now, and I think, at a 95 percent cure rate.

[00:10:17] I think the doctor told me at the time, even though he mentioned it was an aggressive form. That's why they wanted to do the chemo immediately. But, besides that initial shock that had come back, it's no fun going through chemo, you know, you lose here. You're just always dragging. But it was funny.

[00:10:32] I always had a good appetite. My oncologist laughed. I gained five pounds over the five months of taking chemo. I would not eat much when I was having the treatment, but I'm having the two off weeks. I'd make sure I'd eat enough. So yeah, you know, you gain five pounds. I was never really overweight, so I made sure I ate, you know, on the off weeks, because obviously, you don't feel like eating through the weekly in Dana Farber, the treatments, but I always had a good attitude.

[00:11:00] I'm always told I had a good chance of survival. And I just wanted to do the best I could as far as trying to stay healthy getting through the treatment. And everything worked out well. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:11:12] So, you mentioned going back and running the marathon after your treatment year, and what was it like?

[00:11:18] I know you said you worked out harder and wanted to ensure you could. What was it like? Did you notice any physical challenges? 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:11:25] You could feel it, obviously, with part of my lung gone and out of shape. So obviously, when I started to train again, I was not doing well, but I gave myself, let's see, I started the chemo probably finished, I said, May of 87, I think I started in September. I had six or seven months of training before the April 1988 marathon. So obviously, I was not good in the beginning, but slowly but surely, I overcame it; they said, you know, as far as the lung is gone, he said, your body overlooks it over time.

[00:12:00] It makes adjustments for that. So, over time I was getting better and better training harder. Before that, I would run. Five miles every day or every other day. And I did a half marathon then in 86. I said, well, a bunch of people from the YMCA, which we took a bus down, and when you're 31, you can get through it.

[00:12:21] So I ran, I was always in pretty good shape. But I never trained hard like they did in 87 for the 88 marathon. So, it felt good when I was done, and I beat my old time. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:12:33] Tell us about your exercise now because I know you're still.

[00:12:36] Teaching classes. Are you still running, or what's going on? 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:12:39] I'm a certified spin instructor and cycling instructor. I've been doing that for about nine years at the YMCA. Right now, I'm chairman of the local board of the Leominster Fitchburg YMCA. I've been on the board forever. 

[00:12:52] Over all the years of running outside, I have tried to stick to a spin bike now because of all the pounding it takes on my knee. Two years ago, I had a knee [00:13:00] replacement, and it went very well. Six weeks after the knee replacement, I was teaching spin classes again. I had an injury playing basketball.

[00:13:08] And early in 1982, I got through that, but over time, the pounding, you know, running outside takes a toll. So, about 10 years ago, I decided it was better I stay off the running on the roads and be more tied to cycling, which I liked indoor cycling. I was never a big outdoor cycler on a regular bike, so I started cycling classes and said I was having so much fun.

[00:13:33] I got certified to teach a class. I was doing it three or four times a week before my auto accident, which happened about six weeks ago. I enjoyed it. I mean, we have a good group at the YMCA. We do it at five 15s in the morning and have coffee afterward. So, it's a pretty good special group.

[00:13:51] So I enjoy that at this point. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:13:53] So, can you describe spinning? What is a spinning class? What is spinning?

[Jim Hohman]

[00:13:59] You're on a stationary bike, and there's music. So, you choreograph the music. You stand, you sit, you do 30 different positions. There are speed songs where you're looking for as fast as you can and climb hills.

[00:14:13] So there's a tension on your bike. It's fantastic that you can play different types of songs. You do some climbing; you do some sprints. All the teachers are a little different, which makes it suitable. So, you choreograph a class based on the music you want to use. 

[00:14:30] So it's pretty cool like that. Yeah. Oh, it is. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:14:33] Yeah. I didn't know; I wasn't sure what it was. So, it sounds like excellent exercise. 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:14:39] It is. You're just on a bike. It's a seated bike with tension on the gear, so it's a lot of fun. 

[00:14:44] It's been pretty big for a while now. I enjoyed it, and we had a good group of people. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:14:48] Yeah. I like the idea of exercising like that as a group and then going to have coffee. That sounds nice. 

[00:14:54] Can you talk briefly about being a single dad? I asked the question since I know you had gone through cancer, got well, and had a child.

[00:15:04] I think our listeners, that's for anyone a big accomplishment, but just from your perspective as a single dad. 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:15:14] I mean, it was a challenge. She decided she was moving to Colorado, and I decided I was fighting for custody because I love my daughter.

[00:15:22] I had to raise my daughter from about one and a half. You know, it was a lot of work, but it was really good. At three years old, she took dance class. She became a competitive dancer on a competitive dance team. We went to Las Vegas like four summers in a row when she was in high school.

[00:15:40] She's danced on cruises. She danced in college. You just keep moving. She was always very smart and always did well in school. I don't know how many dance competitions you sit through on a weekend, but there are other parents, and you have fun.

[00:15:55] And no, I enjoyed it. She had a good life. She was probably spoiled, but she was [00:16:00] always appreciative of what I did, always worked hard, and never got in trouble. So, in that way, I had it very easy, but, you know, it was a challenge.

[00:16:08] Yeah. When I remember the story, all the mothers changed their daughters. Outfits when they're three and four years old, I couldn't go in, obviously, into the girl's locker room, so we would change her clothes in the hallway and find a dark hallway so that she could change her tights and costumes.

[00:16:26] There would be six or seven different dances, so you feel a little outcast about that, not having the mother around, but it's funny, and you get through it. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:16:35] Yeah, you adjust. 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:16:36] You adapt and do what you must do.

[00:16:39] As I said, I've been blessed that I got through my cancer. I had a child, a grandchild, and a perfect life. I work for a bank right now. I have worked for trust departments for 45 years now. I enjoy money management. I've made a good salary and been able to help my daughter out.

[00:16:58] She's going through nurse practitioner school now. She'll graduate next May as a nurse practitioner and loves being a nurse. It's all good at this point. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:17:07] Yeah. Lots of work for all of you, but lots of accomplishments. I mean, I'm very impressed with all that. I was going to ask something about it; my question was going to be about whether you were able to have a child after the chemo, which is very individual in terms of who can and who can't.

[00:17:24] But the doctors just said they had no advice except you may be unable to. Is that correct? 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:17:32] They talked about the sperm count with chemo, and before I proposed to my ex-wife, I had it tested. My sperm was tested, and it said I could have it. I didn't want to go into a marriage and say, listen, because she wanted a child then, and I didn't want to say, we may be lucky, we may not be fortunate.

[00:17:52] So actually, I had my sperm tested through an oncologist, and he said, yes, it looked like I could go into the marriage knowing that [00:18:00] we could have children.

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:18:01] It's probably advice that many men who've gone through the chemo and so forth have from their doctors to get their sperm tested, but I'm not sure anybody's mentioned that on the podcast.

[00:18:12] That's good advice for any of our listeners who might want to do the same thing.

[00:18:17] I also know from the article about you, Jim, that you are on many nonprofit boards and give a lot back.

[00:18:24] Do you want to talk about that too? 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:18:27] I've been on the local Salvation Army board for 40 years. Also, special needs kids for 40 years. I've been in the Montachusett Area Rotary Club for 40 years. So, I've always liked to give back., I'm on three other boards as senior housing.

[00:18:43] Your bank boss would say you want to get involved to bring in business. I loved it. I've been involved for a long time, and getting to know the people, especially the YMCA, has been my passion. I've been a member of the Rotary Club for 40 years, Salvation [00:19:00] Army.

[00:19:00] They're all good groups, and we do a lot of activities. I've enjoyed, you know, helping the community. The Boy Scouts of New England named me a distinguishing citizen of the year. I have a nice big celebration in September.

[00:19:14] So it's an honor to get that award, but it's not the awards; it's just helping people, especially in the YMCA, the kids in the teen centers, especially inner city, Fitchburg, you see how much help the Y does for kids, especially underprivileged kids, the teen center, helping with homework, there's swimming, there's basketball, and it's, it's a good part of their life, be associated with the Y, and the Salvation Army does a great job with some other programs, especially their food bank, Rotary, you know, we have different events to help people out, I find it very rewarding, to give back. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:19:50] Right. That's great. Congrats on your award, too. So, like you said, it's not about the awards, but it is nice to have that recognition. What's next in your life now? [00:20:00] Is there anything career, personal, anything you want to share with us?

[Jim Hohman]

[00:20:04] I'm 68 now, but I like my job. We manage money. I only work two minutes away. I think I could work another five years, but the one thing is that my daughter and granddaughter are in Denver, and I'm in Massachusetts. So, I had been going on every three or four months. At some point, I may want to get closer.

[00:20:23] I get a lot of pictures. My daughter calls me almost every day. I'm very close, close to them. At some point, I will retire. I don't like golf. I play in these golf tournaments. I'm not very good, but I'll stay active in the YMCA. I'll probably travel to Denver to see my daughter and granddaughter, but I don't have any big plans.

[00:20:45] I'm not an extensive traveler. You know, I've been on a lot of cruises. I've been to Europe with my daughter and stuff. I will probably just be able to relax, see my daughter and granddaughter, and just enjoy life. That sounds good.

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:20:59] Yeah, I know. I can relate to that. I'm 71, and I'm still working part-time in PR. and you just keep doing it as long as you enjoy it or want to, 

[00:21:09] So my last question, Jim, is what song? When you hear it, you have to sing along to it.

[Jim Hohman]

[00:21:15] I don't know if you heard of the fight song. I've listened to that song several times on America's Got Talent.

[00:21:21] You've probably heard of people battling cancer. It's called the fight song. That tears me up a little bit because I know, you know, you get diagnosed with cancer, and you got to fight. Some people have it harder than others. And I, again, I was very lucky.

[00:21:37] Mine was caught early, but that fight song hits me. I hear people sing that and say it means so much to me because I've gone through it. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:21:48] That's a great choice. I'm going to look that up again and listen to it. 

[00:21:51] I appreciate your time and joining me today, Jim and I'm glad you're doing well. I will also look up spinning classes because I keep looking for an [00:22:00] exercise class that would be fun. That sounds pretty good. 

[Jim Hohman]

[00:22:02] Well, thank you again, Joyce. 

[Joyce Lofstrom]

[00:22:05] Okay.

[Closing]

[00:22:06] Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer. If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to our program on your favorite podcast directory. 

You can also visit the Max Mallory Foundation at www.maxmalloryfoundation.com/podcast to listen to previous podcast episodes, or donate to the foundation and join us again next time for another episode of Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer.