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opinion: like a lot of men, i felt invincible – until i wasn’t

"as difficult as it seems, you can say, 'i need help.'”

by kenton boston

aug 23 2024

3 minute read

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roughly 70 per cent of diseases can be prevented, and kenton boston hopes to remind men why it's important to stay on top of their health. kenton boston

it was the fall of 2019. i was a media executive on a 24/7 cycle of meetings, flights and more meetings. i knew something wasn’t right with my body, but like so many of us – especially men – i put it to the back of my mind and pushed through. i exercised, tried to eat well, and led a healthy lifestyle.

it’s been four years since the cancer was eventually found and cut out of me. i’m grateful to the doctors who saved my life, but the lesson i learned and hope to share is that you need to stop ignoring what your body is telling you and own your health care journey.

it started with a feeling i can only describe as jello being pushed through my rib cage. i was used to my ribs popping out from time to time, so i told myself it was nothing to worry about, and my busy life carried on. when i was eventually convinced to get it checked out, i was told i had a large mass around my left kidney and needed to urgently see a specialist. i received the news just as the world shut down with covid.

my case was referred to a urologist, and while i struggled with the magnitude of what this could mean for my life, a few days later, i received the news i had been hoping for: it wasn’t cancer. of course, i learned later this was a misdiagnosis due to the rarity of this type of cancer. but at that moment, i kept working and kept quiet – even when my body started to fail me.

by june 2020, the growth was pushing my rib cage out so far that i could no longer move my left arm well. the answer: surgery. instead of the planned laparoscopic procedure, i woke up with a large incision in my abdomen through which doctors pulled out the now-grapefruit-sized object that had grown inside of me.

when i was discharged, i couldn’t do anything. i had to cancel a planned motorcycle trip and return to work, but this time, lying on my couch. it was from there that i took the call from my doctor. he had my pathology report, and the news was less than great. i had cancer.

my diagnosis came a few years after my older sister had lost her battle against a more aggressive version of the same cancer. so, the conversations i had avoided with my family were as hard as they were now unavoidable.

i pulled together two excellent doctors, and by including my sister’s experience in the conversation, we built a plan.

from that spring until a week before my second surgery in november, i kept working. i didn’t tell my colleagues. selfishly, i didn’t want to have to deal with their questions or be a burden. i wish i had spoken to them sooner because when i eventually did, all i found was empathy and support.

today, i am healthy. i’m still working through the enormous impacts this has had on me, physically and mentally. i left the media world and entered the charitable sector where i help run the canadian men’s health foundation. our team is continually building our network of doctors, researchers and partners, developing programs, and changing lives for men and their families. as difficult as it seems, you can say, “i need help,” or “i don’t know what i need, but at least i’m talking.”

at the foundation, we constantly remind men that 70 per cent of diseases can be prevented by living healthier lifestyles, but we’re also here to help when the tough times come. even though you need to be your best advocate––because no one knows what’s happening in your body more than you––you’re never alone.

kenton boston is the ceo of the canadian men’s health foundation, a national, registered charity providing valuable, practical tools and motivational resourcess to ensure every man has the support they need to live healthier.

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"as difficult as it seems, you can say, 'i need help.'”

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opinion: like a lot of men, i felt invincible – until i wasn’t

"as difficult as it seems, you can say, 'i need help.'”

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