( CNN ) -- Today is my chemo anniversary . A year ago today , I started chemotherapy . Is that something you celebrate ? Is it something you even acknowledge ? I 've had mixed feelings about marking an anniversary that changed my life . Before I was diagnosed , I was in my prime . I was 34 years old and undoubtedly in the best shape of my adult life . I had met the girl of my dreams , I was being promoted at work , and I was training for an Olympic triathlon . Living a healthy lifestyle is n't something that comes easily . It 's a choice you make -- a choice I made some years ago . Growing up , I was an athlete , and sports were a big part of my life . Then , in my 20s , after moving to New York and making some unhealthy choices , I once again took control of my life and put my health first . That dying patient could have been me . Being healthy defined me . Whether it was what I ate or how many times a week I exercised , it was a priority . It was time I dedicated to me , time that was spent bettering myself , both physically and mentally . And almost overnight , it was taken from me . I had cancer . Being diagnosed was a big shock , not only for me but for those around me . If it could happen to me , someone who took their health so seriously , it could happen to anyone . While training for the triathlon , I was plagued with a lot of injuries that no one could really figure out . It was n't until I requested a CT scan on the advice of a friend that anything was detected . When the results from the scan came back , my doctor said it could be lymphoma or some type of infection . I prayed for the latter , but at that moment , I knew it was much more serious . Diabetes took my teeth but not my life . As an athlete , you know your body well , and something just did n't feel right . I had dealt with injuries before , but not like this . I met with a stomach specialist who told me it was most likely lymphoma , and the next step was a biopsy . I met with my oncologist , but it was n't until we got the biopsy results that I was finally diagnosed . I did not have lymphoma but testicular cancer , and it was spreading fast . I remember thinking cancer would n't affect me too much , that I 'd just have to stop every month for a week for what I called `` a little chemo . '' I was wrong . Nothing I read and nothing I was told could have prepared me for what was to come . Chemo is essentially poison that kills the all the bad things in your body ; the good things are collateral damage . Why I gave up soda . I was n't prepared to feel winded after climbing a set of stairs when running 5 miles had been nothing for me . I was n't ready for how my hair would one day just fall from my head as if it was n't mine . I was n't ready for the debilitating nausea that could render me helpless . Everything I had worked so hard for was slowly slipping away . I was being attacked from the inside , and I could n't control it . What I was first told would be a three- to four-month ordeal turned into a year . Four rounds of chemo and two abdominal surgeries later , I 'm in the clear and could n't be happier . Ultimately , what it all came down to was that the healthy lifestyle I had chosen aided my recovery . My strength allowed me to recover faster . Just six months after my first surgery , I 'm training for a triathlon . So now , I start from the beginning . I 'm ready to live again . I 'm ready to be healthy again . My second surgery is only eight weeks behind me , and my workouts have begun . They 're light , but I 'm moving in the right direction . This will be no easy feat , but I know I 'll get there . I ca n't let cancer win . If I do n't get back to the best shape of my life , I 've let cancer off the hook . I intend to take back from it , what it took from me . I intend to cross that finish line in September . Celebrating small victories .
Jamil Nathoo was diagnosed with testicular cancer while training for an Olympic triathlon . Nathoo is now in recovery and training with the Fit Team . Follow Jamil 's triathlon profile on Twitter @ TriHardJamil .