Testicular Cancer Survivor Shares Story of Courage in New Book

Brian Sluga continues to share his story of survivorship with the world.

Sluga, a testicular cancer survivor, has been a contributing blogger for CURE’s website, curetoday.com, since January 2024, and he will give readers further insight into his cancer journey and long-term survivorship in his upcoming book, “The Shriek I Do Remember.”

The book, Sluga tells CURE in an interview, will be released via Two Penny Publishing in early February 2026, ahead of Testicular Cancer Awareness Month in April.

“‘The Shriek I Do Remember’ is a story of courage,” Sluga said. “[As] a testicular cancer survivor, I share how, as a young college athlete, I found a lump. I had no idea what it was or how it would change my life forever. My book is about hope and survival after cancer. It’s a testament of devotion from a young college athlete who had everything going for him.”

The book, Sluga said, takes readers through his illness and provides an inside look at a young man dealing with issues of fertility, sexual health and body image. It offers the reader what Sluga describes as a realistic and profound portrayal of someone in the prime of their life, exploring college struggles, sexual relationships, tested faith and matters of mental health.

“What poured out of me was a reaction to what I saw after being on the operating table,” Sluga wrote in a 2024 column for CURE. “The shriek, I do remember; it was a reaction in my soul that told me I could not give up and would not go through it again. Cancer, no matter the type, is an evil doer. I wanted to live, of course, so I prayed and tried to be optimistic. But my cancer tried hard to zap my will to live. I will never forget how that felt.”

Sluga, an Illinois native who was diagnosed at 20 years old and is now retired and living in Florida, shared how he believes attitudes toward cancer have changed since he received his diagnosis.

“More people are talking about cancer today than they were years ago, and it's affecting more people,” Sluga said. “So my whole reason for the book is not just to tell my story, but it's to tell people that for men, it’s not a shameful thing. You know, it's kind of like if you're on a subway and if you see something, say something.”

Sluga, who found that he had a passion for running when he was in the sixth grade, said that he discovered his testicular cancer during a postrun shower while in college.

“[The book] is about running, because that was what I did,” Sluga said. “But it's more about the mental survival [aspect], because ... nobody had mentioned anything to me about freezing your sperm or being able to have a family...nothing was mentioned.… So it goes through up to [the] present day.”

Through his columns for CURE and now his upcoming book, Sluga is part of a wave of visibility for patients with cancer as well as survivors.

“When I was in my 20s, for women, if somebody had breast cancer, you just [were quiet about it],” he said. “Now, there's the pink ribbon. So with breast cancer, people are talking about it. We don't want to keep it in the closet. I think that's the great thing [about] what CURE does, in my experience.”

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