Cancer Survivor Pushing Giant Testicle Across U.S. To Raise Awareness Heads To San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The images are startling. A man, a dog, and a gigantic six-foot inflatable testicle trudging across the horizon. It's not a joke. It's one man's battle to raise awareness for male cancers. He's serious, and he's heading to San Francisco.
When Thomas Cantley was diagnosed and treated for stage 3 testicular cancer, he not only survived, he vowed to find a way to make sure other young men wouldn't be ignorant to this deadly disease.
The 31-year-old came up with a slogan "BE BALLSY," and adopted the name, 'Mr. Ballsy.' He decided to spread awareness by pushing his giant orb from coast to coast. Cantley's cross-country push would be funded by supporters he meets along the way.
Cantley left Santa Monica on September 4 and plans to travel 4000 miles -- through Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Salt Lake City , Santa Fe and Washington D.C. He said he wants people to come and find him, sign his ball, and share their 'ballsy' battle stories of cancer survival.
According to his Facebook page, Mr. Ballsy left Salinas, California and was heading to San Francisco, Saturday. His post thanked the folks of Salinas for their support, and asked if anyone in San Francisco might have a place for him to stay.
"I want to prove you don't need billions of dollars or the promise of a cure to make a difference in the fight against cancer," said Cantley. "I also want to prove community is built on compassion and kindness. As I push the ball across the country I will not have a cent at my disposal. I am relying on the help of strangers I meet along the way."
"This movement could not have been possible without the care and support of the cancer community from all corners of the globe," said Cantley. "No one goes through cancer alone and I'm constantly astonished by the generosity that surrounds me."
You can follow Mr. Ballsy on Facebook (Mr. Ballsy), Twitter (@weareballsy) and www.ballpush.org.
