Cancer-Survival Sebastien Haller Urges People To Always Do Check-ups

Months after surviving cancer, Borussia Dortmund striker, Sebastien Haller has urged everyone not to be ashamed to carry out regular medical checkups.

Sebastien Haller, who joined Borussia Dortmund for £27.4 million last summer, was absent from training on July 18, less than two weeks after signing the deal.

His absence from training came after he experienced discomfort for a few weeks. At the initial stage, he thought it might be a hernia or a stomach ailment. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a testicular tumor within 24 hours afterward.

The 28-year-old international from the Ivory Coast underwent two surgeries and chemotherapy as part of his treatment.

Following a month of renewed exercise, he made his Dortmund debut on January 22 as a substitute against Augsburg. On February 4, World Cancer Day, Haller scored his first goal for his new team against Freiburg.

Before his team’s first-leg Champions League encounter against Chelsea, Haller had an interview with BBC Sport in which he urged both sportsmen and non-sportsmen to always carry out regular medical checkups.

Haller insisted that anyone can get a tumor if he, an extremely fit professional athlete at the height of his career, can.

He added: “The most important thing is not to think it can only happen to other people. I was one of them seven months ago. I was fit and I was doing well. In the space of three months, the level I had of this tumor was high.

“We need to check. You cannot be ashamed. We are not checking only for ourselves but also for our family and friends and those around us. It can save a lot of lives.”