Paid Testicular Surgeries

Joel Dahmen takes second-round lead in comeback from testicular cancer

SASKATOON - American Joel Dahmen shot a 7-under 65 to take the lead after the second round of the Dakota Dunes Casino Open Friday.

Dahmen, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March of this year and had surgery in May, is competing in his second golf tournament since finishing chemotherapy.

"I'm just happy to be playing, I really had no expectations coming into this week," said the 23-year-old who sits at 12 under for the tournament. "Making bogeys doesn't matter as much to me this year as it did last year and I think it's (cancer) helped my perspective on life tremendously."

Dahmen's diagnosis came just one year after his brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer and six years after his mother succumbed to another form of the deadly disease.

"It's something that has run in the family and when I felt the bump I knew what it was right away," said Dahmen who only had to endure one round of chemotherapy. "Luckily we caught it quickly and I'm expected to make a full recovery and I'm feeling pretty good as it stands."

Dahmen's second round Friday didn't start very well as he bogeyed the first hole. But he carded eight birdies in a 15 hole stretch to take the lead into Saturday's action.

Dahmen, whose best finish on the Canadian Tour came in Victoria last season when he tied for seventh, is playing his 12th event on tour and likes the way course at Dakota Dunes is set up.

"There are a lot of birdies available out there," said Dahmen who has a total of 15 birdies over two rounds. "I've been working on my chipping and putting after last week and it paid off today."

Californian Liam Kendregan shot 5-under 67 and is one shot back of Dahmen at 11-under-par for the tournament. Kendregan is playing this season on a medical exemption after sustaining injuries in a car accident last season.

"Taking the year off put things in perspective and I'm very much enjoying being out here with the boys, it feels really good," said the 28-year-old.

Kendregan, who went bogey free Friday, said he will feel no pressure playing in the final group on Saturday.

"I'm going to enjoy it, I've got two more rounds and I'm going to see how low I can go," Kendregan said. "I'm really enjoying being back out here and competing with the boys, it's going to be fun tomorrow."

Jose Rodriguez shot the best round of the day with a 9-under 63, two shots off the course record set by Cody Slover in 2010.

El Rancho Garza: Surgery for Joey

On July 12th, 2011, under the direction of Dr. Peter Rakestraw . He underwent laparoscopic evaluation on both sides, and the retained testicle was found on the right side, intra-abdominal position, and very high. It was well proximal to the inguinal ring, and was never a testicle that had descended and then "sucked back up". This testicle had never descended and was never going to descend. His behavior has slowly been improving. He's always been a good horse, but very easily distracted by mares. Since I've had him back, he has progressively been less attentive to my mare. Lola. I've only seen 1-2 erections in the last 2 weeks, where that had been 1-2 an hour before the surgery! He seems more submissive as well. I guess the real test will start as I put him back to work, and increase his exposure to mares and other geldings. Why did Joey even have to endure this surgery? Well, it started with an unscrupulous veterinarian who was willing to perform a partial castration on a horse. Clearly, only the left testicle was ever present, and was removed. More ethical vets will not proceed with castration if they only palpate one testicle. They inform the owner that to PROPERLY geld the stud, a more extensive surgery will be needed, and they will not perform a partial castration. The surgery to remove the retained testicle is then performed at a later date, when BOTH testicles can be definitively removed at the same time. I can tell you with certainty that the vet who performed the castration does not follow ethical practices, because he admitted it to me. I called him, and he told me "If there is only one testicle, and the owner wants me to remove it, then I remove it". He then went on to tell me that he tells the owner that the horse only had one testicle to remove. When I asked if he had records to document that he disclosed this, he told me he had no records of the procedure. Keep in mind, this "gelding" was performed 2 years ago. I spoke with 3 other vets who told me it a requirement to keep records for far longer than that. In any event, the horse was sold as a gelding at the age of 2. Seeing as he was young, and kept mostly around other geldings, and has a naturally good disposition, he never was reported as acting "studdy". The 2nd owners sold him to me as a gelding at age 4, and I firmly believe they never knew about his cryptorchidism.

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