Read Time: 3 minutes
Takeaways:
- Cancer treatment can be physically and emotionally challenging, but finding small ways to stay engaged can support healing and resilience.
- Support from family, community, and compassionate clinicians can help patients regain confidence and return to activities they love.
Impact: Huntsman Cancer Institute’s specialized surgical team and personalized care helped Connor Finlinson navigate treatment with confidence. His providers encouraged him, listened to his goals, and supported his return to running and everyday life.
When 22-year-old Connor Finlinson suffered a minor skiing injury, he didn’t expect it to lead to a cancer diagnosis.
“I felt that something was off, and it didn’t change after a couple of weeks,” he says. “When I got the diagnosis, I thought, ‘Well, cancer is my reality now,’ which was a shock. The biggest concern was—what if it spreads? Where else could it be? I had a lot of fear.”
Connor learned he had testicular cancer in June 2024. Within weeks, his life shifted from school and sports to surgery and chemotherapy at Huntsman Cancer Institute.
“The physical part of treatment was tough for me,” he says. “I was an active person, and all of a sudden, I didn’t have a lot of energy. I thought that I should be in my prime, and after weeks of treatment, it started to take a mental toll. Everything was put on hold.”
As an active person and student at Brigham Young University, Connor struggled with the sudden pause in his life. But he found small ways to keep moving—both physically and emotionally. “I picked up cooking,” he says. “I knew people lost weight during treatment, and I was worried about that. So, I tried to eat a lot. Food became something fun for me to do. There were some days I would also try to take a short run to prove that I could still do stuff.”
Through the hardest moments, Connor was surrounded by his family. “My parents came to all my appointments,” he says. “My mom really took care of me. My two brothers were home, and I think through it all, our relationships grew. It’s been moving to see how many people are in my corner.”
After months of chemotherapy, Connor learned he needed another surgery in January 2025. Still, he refused to let cancer define his limits. “I figured I can’t keep putting my life on hold,” he says. “So I went back to school, had my surgery, and decided to run a marathon.”
Only five weeks after surgery, Connor completed the Mount Charleston Marathon in Las Vegas. “I knew I wouldn’t be as fast as I wanted,” he says. “I was worried, but after it, I knew I was back. Training provided affirmation that I was getting back to normal life. Even after my body has been through all these things, I could return to doing normal things. It was a huge boost to me.”
Connor’s care team at Huntsman Cancer Institute—including Alejandro Sanchez, MD, and Vinay Mathew Thomas, MBBS—supported him every step of the way. “This place has a great reputation,” Connor says. “The doctor I had been seeing told me to come here. Drs. Sanchez and Thomas, the two of them, have been incredible—super personable. I’ve never had doctors so involved in my life, and they’ve always had my best interest in mind.”
Now cancer-free, Connor is studying accounting at BYU and training for the Boston Marathon this April. “Chemo is killing a bunch of stuff inside of you, but it won’t kill you,” he says. “That correlates to running a marathon in a way—it’s an endurance test. It’s like the most difficult type of interval workout.”
For Connor, running has become more than a goal—it’s proof of recovery. “After everything, I know I can get back up again,” he says. “That finish line meant more than just a race. It meant I was back to living my life.”
