Actor David Ramsey, best known for playing John Diggle on Arrow, has revealed he underwent surgery and chemotherapy after a testicular cancer diagnosis that began with a change he noticed during kickboxing training in his late 20s. Speaking on Michael Rosenbaum’s “Inside of You” podcast, Ramsey, 54, said one testicle appeared significantly smaller than the other, prompting an ultrasound and a long stretch of medical monitoring.
Ramsey said doctors identified testicular microlithiasis and opted for “watch and advise” rather than immediate intervention. Years later, he returned for care after one testicle suddenly swelled dramatically. Ramsey said it was never painful, but doctors moved quickly from evaluation to treatment, removing the testicle and starting chemotherapy. He described the hardest part of the chemo as sitting alongside children receiving treatment, an experience that reset his sense of scale and pushed him toward a more deliberate, day-to-day mindset.
Ramsey said he chose to speak publicly now because he believes cancer diagnoses are rising and he wanted men to take changes in their bodies seriously. Health guidance supports that basic message: major cancer and medical organizations list a new lump, swelling, or a testicle that becomes larger as common warning signs, and they stress seeing a clinician quickly if symptoms appear.
Testicular cancer tends to affect younger men and often starts with a symptom people discover themselves rather than through routine screening. Standard treatment varies by stage and tumor type, but it often begins with surgery, with chemotherapy used for certain cases. Ramsey’s timeline, with extended observation followed by surgery and chemo after a sudden change, reflects how uneven the path from first symptom to definitive treatment can look in real life.
