A FORMER football and rugby player has thanked friends and old team mates for fundraising to help with chemotherapy costs, ahead of charity netball game at Cwmbran stadium.

Dafydd Hellard, 32, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April.

He knew it was coming, following weeks of tests and having blood taken.

“It’s the unknown that’s the scariest thing,” he said.

“I just knew that it was going to be cancer - you go into the office with a consultant, they look at your test results and scans, and they say they are sorry.

“But for me, it was almost a relief. At least then I could focus on beating it, on getting better, on the next steps. Without the confirmation, you’re just sort of in limbo.”

Mr Hellard, who is taking time off from coaching rugby team the Valley Cougars, showed positive results after chemotherapy, but then things stagnated.

“The consultant was a really nice guy. He explained it to me in terms I’d understand; the chemotherapy didn’t just stop working, but was less effective,” he said.

“Take a new diet, your goal is to lose three stone. The first two and a half come off really easily but it’s so hard to get that extra half off. So what do you do? You change your diet.

“That’s what we did with my treatment.”

The sportsman, who also works for Bron Afon Community Housing in Cwmbran, was directed towards BEP chemotherapy. By this time, the cancer had spread to his abdominal and groin.

BEP is a chemotherapy treatment used to specifically treat testicular cancer and a rare type of ovarian cancer.

The treatment Mr Hellard was recieved covered by his private healthcare insurer.

But after starting BEP, he was told that the insurer did not cover this particular type of chemotherapy.

Due to now being registered as a private patient and having already begun the treatment, Mr Hellard's particular case was not covered by the NHS either. 

He said: “It’s about £1,300 a cycle, and I have three cycles planned.

“Obviously I have savings that I’ve used for the treatment, but there’s no way I’d be able to pay for it without the fundraising efforts of my friends, family and old teammates.

A new bank account has been set up for donations, for complete transparency.

“If there is money left over I want to give it it a testicular cancer charity, but everyone who has donated told me they’d rather I had it to help me get back on track,” he said.

“Instead, I’m going to get up a local support group for others suffering from testicular cancer.

“Like I said, it’s the not knowing that’s the worst bit. There’s barely any information online and I waited five weeks after my operation to remove the cancer, before a CT scan to see if it had worked.

“This time is particularly difficult and you just don’t have any communication with healthcare professionals.”

A netball tournament will take place at Cwmbran Stadium on Friday, August 24, from 4pm onwards.

Entry is £10 per person and teams can range from seven to 10 people.

“I’ve been on BEP for about a week and a half now. I’m alright, but it has completely different side effects. My temperature is fluctuating a lot and with that I’m beginning to hallucinate,” Mr Hellard added.

“That’s a good thing. I know it’s working.”

Contact richard.murphy@torfaen.gov.uk or call 07906207014 to register a team in this Friday’s tournament.