TIMOTHY Parkes had swollen testicles for around a year before being diagnosed with a tumour.
The 56–year-old from Blidworth was hit in the groin by a cricket ball when he was 26 and was told by doctors, on several occasions, that there was nothing to worry about.
But during the Christmas of 1984, he saw a different doctor, who immediately admitted him to King's Mill Hospital – where he had a testicle removed on Boxing Day.
It had grown into my lung and both stomach glands, so I had to have radiotherapy and chemotherapy," Timothy said.
"I probably would have managed with just surgery if I had caught it earlier.
"Once it's spreading, they have to treat it systemically with the chemicals and that's a very aggressive and difficult treatment."
And Timothy's message is simple.
He said: "You need to get people to overcome their self-consciousness and get checked.
"You've got to check yourself and don't be embarrassed about it.
"It's crazy, it's not worth gambling the rest of your life to save your embarrassment."
Timothy's health issues left him questioning his life, and he resolved to make a real success of himself.
He said: "It gave me a different perspective on life and it inspired me to do things.
"I got a masters degree, a few promotions, set up a business and I retired in my late 30s a multi-millionaire.
"I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't got that new lease of life."
Timothy, who became principal of Derby College, also went on to have a family – with one daughter and two granddaughters.