Kristian Näkyvä found a lump in his testicle and became worried – a big question was running through his head

can i ever have children?

The question troubled the hockey player Kristian Näkyvän in his head a few years ago when he heard he had testicular cancer. He was 29 years old and represented Örebro HK, which plays in the Swedish premier league.

In the middle of the season, Näkyvä had noticed a lump in his testicle and told the team doctor about it.

In the tests, a tumor was found.

The news was a shock.

After the initial shock and after hearing the high probabilities of recovery, Näkyvä asked doctors in Sweden about having children in the future and received instructions.

“Right from the start, it was said that, especially in the case of testicular cancer, when the other testicle is removed, the semen must be frozen to be safe. It is saved in case there are any complications during the operation,” he says.

“Then there is some security if you want to add to the family in the future.”

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“I didn’t have a family and children yet, and I was hoping for one.”

Testicular cancer is a rare but becoming more common disease and the most common cancer in men under the age of 35. In Finland, approximately 180 cases are diagnosed each year. The mortality rate is two percent.

The diagnosis after receiving Näkyvä, he also feared for his career when he had to stay on the sidelines during his treatments. Would he lose all his athletic strength? Would he ever play hockey again? He also wanted to be a father.

“I didn’t have a family and children yet, and I was hoping for one,” he says about his situation at the time.

The doctors reassured the Finn: the probability of infertility was very small. Frozen semen would act as an emergency backup if needed.

The operation was successful. During the treatments, both muscles and hair disappeared from the man in top condition, but Näkyvä was able to train his strength back and returned to the ice in the Swedish league for real action in November 2020, less than a year after the surgery.

He has since received his health papers. The hair is also handsome again.

Visible met his current spouse To Maija after a cancer diagnosis. The consequences of the disease had to be discussed.

“After the treatments, there was a ban on not even trying to have a child for six months. It must have been a little over half a year,” Näkyvä recalls.

Medicines intended to destroy cancer cells, i.e. cytostats, can cause developmental problems for the fetus.

“That was a good window of time to know that it is absolutely necessary to play it safe.”

The couple waited – and the wait was rewarded last spring, when Olivia-daughter got her first parking.

“Everything went really well. We are very happy. We know that it is not that easy to succeed in having a child anyway. We received good care and the child safely into the world,” says Näkyvä, who turns 33 on Saturday, gratefully.

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“After the treatments, there was a ban on not even trying to have a child for six months.”

The same on the day the child was born, Näkyvä signed a contract with a new country, the Swiss premier league club HC Davos.

The sighted person told her spouse about it the next day.

“I said that we will go to Switzerland next season. That a similar (agreement) was made here along with everything”, he tells and laughs.

Last spring and summer were a very busy time for new parents. They first moved from Sweden to Finland. Näkyvä is from Helsinki, where they now bought an apartment.

Right after that they had to move to Davos. The new Helsinki home immediately became empty.

The move to Switzerland was not a terrible news bomb for the family.

“It was known that my goal is to get there to continue my career. The situation had already been discussed with Maija,” Näkyvä says.

“But there were a lot of changes, a rush and a strange mood when we were running in every direction. I had to learn a new child’s life and first move from Sweden to Finland and from Finland to Switzerland in the summer. There are changes in it for three months at a time.”

Davos is an idyllic village of 10,000 inhabitants in the Swiss Alps, in the valley of the Landwasser River at an altitude of 1,560 meters. It’s not easy to move abroad with a few-month-old baby, but Davos is a bird’s nest.

Swiss healthcare is the best in the world.

“We immediately called the local hospital and got in,” says Näkyvä.

Many foreigners with small children have played in HC Davos over the years.

“Things seem easy here, since this is not such a big place. You can find appointments and get treatment quickly if something happens. This seems like a really safe place in the sense that there is quick contact with the hospital.”

Fatherhood tastes good.

“Yes, those experiences are already enough for the first six months. It’s rewarding, but it does take a lot sometimes. But this has been wanted and expected, so I’m not complaining at all,” Näkyvä says.

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“Things seem easy here, since this is not such a big place.”

Fatherhood also changes a person.

“I try to do everything to ensure that the girl is fine. It goes to the top of the priority list. I have to remember to take care of myself and Maija sometimes.”

Games In Switzerland, they have started perfectly. Näkyvä has scored 2+10=12 power points in the 20 games he has played and is his team’s number one defender and fourth best scorer.

After five years in Örebron, Näkyvä has gotten used to not only the new league but also the new way of playing and club culture.

“The first thing that caught my eye here was that all the people live and breathe with the team. The team itself feels quite close. This was easy to jump into. It was a very welcome feeling. We immediately came to jesus and show places.”

Nykyva would like to continue in Davos next season as well. The contract includes the club’s extension option.

“It’s meaningful to play here and I’ve got a new challenge for my everyday life.”

Visible has played abroad for almost a whole decade, when he left JYP for the world after the 2013-2014 season. He has seen the AHL in the United States in the Milwaukee Admirals, the Swedish SHL and now the Swiss league.

In Leijon, Näkyve has not been seen for a while, most recently in January 2019 at the Swedish EHT tournament.

“It’s been a bit quiet since then,” he says.

Jukka Jalonen hasn’t called.

“You can’t really do anything about it other than play well.”

How about SM league? Will we ever see a quality package that moves well in domestic rinks?

In Jyväskylä, he was about to win the second and so far the most recent Finnish championship in JYP’s club history in 2012. Before that, he represented Espoo Blues.

“I am open to all possibilities. I try to go where I feel is the best option at any point. It may be that one day I will still play in the League.”