Former Tiger battles cancer
13 August 2003 Herald Sun
By JILL PENGELLEY
FORMER Fitzroy and Richmond forward Matthew Manfield faces his battles one at a time.
On Saturday, it was in the Glenelg SANFL reserves side against North Adelaide as he took to the field after 12 weeks on the sick list.
Recovered from a groin injury, Manfield is fighting fit and focused.
But off-field, he resumes another battle.
As strong and healthy as he appears in the Tigers' jumper, Manfield shocked teammates last month when he revealed he had testicular cancer.
"I wanted them to hear it from me," he said.
"I had to get up in front of the players and tell them I had cancer.
"When you're 26 years old, you don't think of having cancer."
He also wanted them to be aware that it could happen to them.
A visit to the infertility clinic led to the discovery of the tumour on July 10.
Manfield and girlfriend Jodi Thompson, 29, had been trying unsuccessfully to start a family.
An ultrasound revealed the cancer and the news was delivered the next day.
"It was a big shock," Manfield said.
"I was told on the Friday morning and had the operation the next Thursday. It was a bit of a blur of a week."
He said he was lucky he and Jodi had been trying to have a baby.
"I never had any symptoms so if it wasn't for having to go through IVF, I wouldn't have known," he said.
Before joining Glenelg, Manfield played for the Eagles after returning from Victoria, where he played senior footy for Fitzroy and Richmond in the 1990s.
He also spent a year on Collingwood's rookie list in 1999.
Being delisted from a football club was a blow.
Being told the fertility problem lay with him was a blow. But being told he had cancer was in another realm.
"It does put things into perspective," he said.
"I've had a lot of kicks in the guts through footy but you take on the challenge and get over it."
Manfield's tumour was found at an early stage and did not appear to have spread.
Later this month, he will begin three weeks of radiotherapy to kill any stray cancer cells which might have gone undetected.
Testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers and the outlook for Manfield was excellent.
But recovery from radiation therapy would delay IVF treatment for another year.
"As Jodi said, even if IVF can't give us a baby, at least it gave her me," Manfield said.
13 August 2003 Herald Sun
By JILL PENGELLEY
FORMER Fitzroy and Richmond forward Matthew Manfield faces his battles one at a time.
On Saturday, it was in the Glenelg SANFL reserves side against North Adelaide as he took to the field after 12 weeks on the sick list.
Recovered from a groin injury, Manfield is fighting fit and focused.
But off-field, he resumes another battle.
As strong and healthy as he appears in the Tigers' jumper, Manfield shocked teammates last month when he revealed he had testicular cancer.
"I wanted them to hear it from me," he said.
"I had to get up in front of the players and tell them I had cancer.
"When you're 26 years old, you don't think of having cancer."
He also wanted them to be aware that it could happen to them.
A visit to the infertility clinic led to the discovery of the tumour on July 10.
Manfield and girlfriend Jodi Thompson, 29, had been trying unsuccessfully to start a family.
An ultrasound revealed the cancer and the news was delivered the next day.
"It was a big shock," Manfield said.
"I was told on the Friday morning and had the operation the next Thursday. It was a bit of a blur of a week."
He said he was lucky he and Jodi had been trying to have a baby.
"I never had any symptoms so if it wasn't for having to go through IVF, I wouldn't have known," he said.
Before joining Glenelg, Manfield played for the Eagles after returning from Victoria, where he played senior footy for Fitzroy and Richmond in the 1990s.
He also spent a year on Collingwood's rookie list in 1999.
Being delisted from a football club was a blow.
Being told the fertility problem lay with him was a blow. But being told he had cancer was in another realm.
"It does put things into perspective," he said.
"I've had a lot of kicks in the guts through footy but you take on the challenge and get over it."
Manfield's tumour was found at an early stage and did not appear to have spread.
Later this month, he will begin three weeks of radiotherapy to kill any stray cancer cells which might have gone undetected.
Testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers and the outlook for Manfield was excellent.
But recovery from radiation therapy would delay IVF treatment for another year.
"As Jodi said, even if IVF can't give us a baby, at least it gave her me," Manfield said.
