Think back to your last doctor’s visit for a routine physical.

The doctor goes through all the necessary procedures, sometimes nonchalantly, and you’re out in about 10 minutes. Now imagine if that meeting lasted a little more than a few minutes and you just got word that you have contracted cancer.

That is what happened to NIU baseball player Jordin Hood in October 2003, during his sophomore year at Lake Zurich High School. Hood was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was just 16 years old.

Hood said he noticed his testicles were abnormally swollen but was too embarrassed to say anything about it to his parents. But luckily, he was required to take a physical leading up to his second season on the varsity basketball team.

After a series of tests, it was confirmed that, in fact, something was wrong. Doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to his lungs and lymph nodes, and Hood immediately went into surgery.

“What’s weird about the situation is that it came out of nowhere,” Hood said. “We did a lot of research and there is no history of it whatsoever in the family.”

Hood had to endure about three months of chemotherapy following the surgery but stayed positive throughout the situation.

“He matured beyond his years,” said Jordin’s dad, Bill Hood. “He went through experiences that not too many 16-year-olds have been through and not once did he ever ask, ‘Why me?'”

It has been over five years since Hood’s diagnosis, and he is officially cancer-free. Everything worked out fine, but there is one thing that Hood’s dad would like to have changed about the situation.

Hood caught the cancer in enough time to fight it, but if he had mentioned it earlier, he could have avoided chemotherapy.

“Jordin knew he had a problem with a very curable disease,” Bill Hood said. “We try and get out there that, when you notice something, you need to speak up.”

Nonetheless, Hood’s experience molded him into the person and athlete he is today. He said it mostly taught him to not take things for granted.

“I didn’t practice hard. Everything just came easily and naturally for me,” Hood said. “It pushed me to get back and work as hard as I could to be the best player and best person I could be. It changed the way I carry myself and how I act.”

Besides leading the Huskies in numerous offensive categories, Hood is an active participant in Relay For Life, and his parents support the American Cancer Society. He said he has talked to a number of cancer patients that share his story.

“I try and tell all my friends about my situation and tell people as much as I can about how to catch it early,” Hood said. “It’s good to help people.”