I first noticed a small lump under my left nipple when I was scratching my chest one summer night in July 1996. I wasn’t especially concerned until a few weeks later when I realized there was blood coming out of the nipple. My first reaction was more surprise than worry. I never knew my nipple had any plumbing behind it and always assumed it was more or less ornamental.
After seeing my family doctor, a surgeon performed a biopsy. The report came back, “breast cancer.” I was 40 years old, in good health, had no family history of the disease, but there I was writing “mastectomy” on my calendar for August 30. It all seemed very surreal.
After surgery, I had several months of chemotherapy and then made the unexpectedly difficult transition back to normal life.
I’ve always been very open about my diagnosis and have been active in the world of breast cancer and cancer more broadly. I often attend breast cancer events and conferences to literally be a face at the table to be sure that men are represented.
My cancer affected my career as well. I took a position at the local cancer support organization – the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes – and eventually served as its executive director for many years. Although I’ve retired from that position, I continue to lead a weekly breakfast group for men with all types of cancer.
More recently, I’ve worked at Cornell University, connecting young cancer researchers with people in the community personally affected by cancer. I like to get the students out of their labs so that they see cancer as a disease that affects people and not just cells.
In addition to my breast cancer, I’ve had prostate cancer, and I was found to have a CHEK2 genetic mutation which is in the same family as the BRCA genes but seems to have less impact. (It’s known as a moderate penetrance gene).
Through the years, I’ve met many men with breast cancer, and I have to say that you can’t find better people anywhere.