Former Test batsmen Nic Maddinson has revealed he underwent chemotherapy after discovering a lump which turned out to be testicular cancer.
The 33-year-old was dropped for NSW’s final shield game of the season in March and had booked a holiday to Byron Bay not long after.
Maddinson had discovered the lump, but was unable to get an appointment to have it assessed at the time.
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That was until he informed Cricket Australia’s chief medical officer, Dr John Orchard of its presence in his end-of-year review session, according to the SMH.
Orchard quickly booked him an appointment, informing Maddinson he should not get on the plane for his scheduled time away, with scans confirming he had a tumour.
Maddinson went under the knife to remove the lump, but seven weeks later was informed the cancer had spread throughout his body and he needed to begin chemotherapy.
“Once I found out I had to have chemo, that was pretty hard to deal with,” Maddinson said.
“It had spread to parts of my abdominal lymph nodes and lung. That was a bit where it was pretty daunting… It was a bit of a blur.
Nic Maddinson has spent the majority of 2026 battling a testicular cancer diagnosis.Source: Getty Images
“There were definitely days when it broke me mentally having to get up and go to hospital, and she (Maddinson’s partner Bianca) helped me push through.
“Imagine if I hadn’t gone to the doctor.”
Maddinson underwent three cycles of chemotherapy for three weeks at a time, which ended in July.
Eight weeks after his final round, he received positive news, being informed the treatment worked and he was allowed to begin his journey back to playing cricket.
While it remains to be seen when he will once again take the field for NSW, Maddinson urged others “if you’re worried about it, get it checked out”.
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“When I found out I needed chemo, it hit me hard because I almost didn’t go. I thought it would go away,” he said.
“To know that I caught it probably as early as I could have, and it still spread into other parts of my body, that was scary.
“I just think it’s so important if you have anything you’re worried about, get it checked out. It feels silly to not tell my story. If one person reads it and gets checked, I’ll be happy.
“I grew up in the country and a lot of people fob it off. It’s a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. Get the stuff checked out, it can make all the difference.”