Cancer Smart Gaming App
- By: Love Your Nuts Foundation Trust
- Short URL: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/love-your-nuts
- Date Created: 30 June 2022
Personal message
Cancer Smart Gaming App Write-upBy: Love Your Nuts Foundation Trust
Short URL: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/love-your-nuts
Date Created: 30 June 2022
My name is Torsten Koehler, proud testicular cancer survivor, author, and founder of the non-profit organisation, Love Your Nuts. Love Your Nuts is devoted to raising awareness about the ‘shy killer’ known as testicular cancer.
No one should walk this journey alone, especially in today’s technologically advanced world.
For the past eight years, Love Your Nuts has toured schools with our Cancer Smart School Programme, reaching over 34 700 individuals with our message.
We are developing an app in partnership with the Centre for Community Technologies at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. However, we need your help and funding to bring this exciting project to fruition.
The Cancer Smart gaming app
Our Cancer Smart gaming app is for students from grades 3 to 12 (ages 10 to 19).
Through a series of virtual challenges, your kids learn about all cancer (not only testicular), the importance of early detection, and how a healthy lifestyle can lower your risk.
It can be played individually, in class groups, or as a competition between schools worldwide.
If we can educate our children early, we improve the survival rate and allow them to live longer, fulfilling lives.
This app is designed to:
- Teach students where they can find help if diagnosed with cancer
- How to support a family member or friend diagnosed with cancer
- How a healthy lifestyle will lower the risk of getting cancer
- How early detection increases the chance of surviving cancer
- What to do in their community to educate and raise awareness
Knowledge and early detection are the best weapons against cancer. Quality cancer education is how we will save our kids, uplift our communities, and empower the generations that follow.
Funds raised will be used to develop a prototype that will help us:
- Cover the cost of testing, research, and further development
- Secure support from more prominent investors
- Acquire expert legal advice to protect the rights of the children using our app
- Work with medical experts to gather the latest and most accurate cancer information.
All Donors are eligible for a Section 18A tax certificate issued by Love Your Nuts.
Connect with Love your nuts by following any of the links below:
The inspiration behind Love Your Nuts
In 1995, I was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, I had no internet access or social media support groups. Moreover, information surrounding testicular cancer was scarce, making an already tricky journey worse and isolating.
According to research conducted in the USA, it affects one out of 250 men yearly – an alarming yet too often taken-for-granted statistic.
Donations
- May 29, 2023 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Apr 25, 2023 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Mar 29, 2023 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Feb 26, 2023 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Jan 29, 2023 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Dec 29, 2022 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Nov 28, 2022 - R 23.00
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Nov 16, 2022 - R 200.00 Fees covered
- "Family and friends have been affected by testicular and prostrate cancer so this organisation serves a very important role for all men, not only now in November." - Roger Poole
- Nov 12, 2022 - R 350.00
- "Education is the best way to prevention because cancer sucks. " - Sabine
- Nov 11, 2022 - R 105.00 Fees covered
- "R 21 x 5 children. Thank you for educating our youth! " - Janine Smith
- Nov 08, 2022 - R 500.00 Fees covered
- "I love my nuts." - Greg Venning
- Nov 07, 2022 - R 100.00 Fees covered
- "Amazing work you guys are doing and my favourite is the word fantesticle! :-)" - Jan Hendriks
- Nov 04, 2022 - R 105.00 Fees covered
- "Torsten is an inspiration and I feel privileged to support the work he does." - Sam
- Nov 04, 2022 - R 100.00 Fees covered
- "Wonderful initiative! Happy to support it." - Candi
- Nov 04, 2022 - R 21.00 Fees covered
- "Let's unite and save live! I support BackaBuddy, great initiative. Thank you Torsten." - Marc
- Nov 02, 2022 - USD $ 5.93 Fees covered
- "I love Torsten's dedication and humour, which makes the former so much more effective. I feel your heart and your deep commitment my friend. Thank you for all that you do for us men and our loved ones" - Si Ekin
- Oct 30, 2022 - R 500.00 Fees covered
- "I love Torsten's dedication and hard work." - Jason
- Oct 29, 2022 - R 100.00
- "After meeting Torsten and seeing how passionate he is about educating as many people as possible around testicular cancer, this is definitely a BackABuddy I am very proud to support. Great Work!" - Lawrence
- Oct 26, 2022 - R 500.00
- "I’ve been a huge fan and supporter of Love Your Nuts for years. Well done on all the great work you are doing. Keep on being such a great inspiration." - Martin
- Oct 26, 2022 - R 100.00 Fees covered
- "Thank you Torsten for sharing your hope and experience during the beginning of my journey - it made the world of difference in a dark and uncertain" - MinusOne
- Oct 26, 2022 - R 500.00 Fees covered
- "Törsten is one of my best friends, I have witnessed so my life changing moments for people he has reached out to and made aware of testicular cancel. Not only a survivor but a hero to many!" - Cameron M-C
- Oct 26, 2022 - R 150.00 Fees covered
- "I love your humour. I follow Love Your Nuts since I saw the first runners in speedos. Fantesticle! :-)" - Siphiwe Majoka
- Oct 26, 2022 - R 80.00 Fees covered
- "Thank you Torsten for being just a Whatsapp away when I went through chemo! It helped me a lot!!" - Deon Olivier
- Oct 26, 2022 - R 100.00 Fees covered
- "Breaking taboos and saving lives! Well done!" - Phillip Jones
Statistics
Love Your Nuts Foundation Trust

Our purpose in a Nutshell
The goal of Love Your Nuts is to raise awareness of (testicular) cancer by educating communities about the rarely spoken about cancer that often remains undetected in young adults due to our diverse society in South Africa, where cultural taboos, stigmas and a lack of knowledge about the subject is widespread.
The Problem in a Nutshell
We believe that no men would die of testicular cancer if they knew about this young man’s cancer and were aware of how to prevent it.
Boys/men die for the following 2 reasons:
- During puberty the body changes. Boys feel these lumps but think it is part of growing up. They think it will go away again. If they knew that it could be cancer their lives could have been saved!
- Men feel the lumps but find it too embarrassing to go to the doctor. If they knew that it could be cancer their lives could have been saved.
If we can bring awareness to all boys/men in an early stage in their lives they will be saved. Knowledge and early detection are the best weapon against cancer!
The Impact in a Nutshell
The aim is to change young people’s behaviour through education and awareness that it becomes a habit for them to look after their health starting at school level already.
This can lead to becoming more health conscious and adapting a healthy lifestyle in general – which often lacks because of cultural taboos, stigmas and knowledge.
Our pillars in a Nutshell
Education
We give educational and motivational talks at schools, corporates, sport clubs and events. This includes our Cancer Smart School programme (App is in a developing stage and needs funding) which is freely available to schools.
Awareness
We focus on running and cycling events to raise awareness. We encourage men to participate in #loveyournuts merchandise and run or cycle in a speedo. This draws attention and photos are often shared on social media. Awareness saves lives!
Support
We support men diagnosed with testicular cancer emotionally. It is often easier to share thoughts and fears with a survivor than with a family member or friend. Building a network of survivors to support patients nationwide/worldwide is in a developing stage.
For more info:
Website: www.loveyournuts.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/loveyournuts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LoveYourNuts
Instagram: www.instagram.com/loveyournuts