My name is Chola Bweupe, a male breast cancer survivor from Lusaka, Zambia. Being a male, I had never been or contemplated breast cancer screening. However, four years ago, which is in February 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which is a rare cancer in men and not known by a majority of people.
In February 2021, on a trip to see my doctor for severe, ongoing back pain due to an injury I sustained in my Rugby-Playing days, I mentioned to the doctor that I had a small pimple on the side of my left breast, which was not going off. The pimple would appear, then dry up when I applied some ointment to it, but it kept coming back. This worried me, hence the reason why I had to bring it to the attention of the doctor
When he looked at the pimple, he said that the pimple was dry on that particular day, but he also observed that the nipple on my breast had collapsed. Due to the collapsed nipple, he suggested that a CT-Scan be done on the breast, together with the CT-Scan on my paining back to determine what had caused the nipple to collapse.
A few days later, when the CT-Scan results came out, the doctor called me and asked that I go and see him at the hospital, so that he would make arrangements for me to see a specialist doctor regarding the CT-Scan results on my breast.
When I got to the hospital, I was referred to see the specialist doctor, who carried out examinations of the breast and the CT-Scan results. After his examinations, he broke devastating news to me. He said even without a biopsy or lab test, he suspected that the big growth showing in my breast could be cancerous, which had caused the nipple to collapse, as he had seen a lot of such in many women with breast cancer.
The doctor advised that an immediate survey should be carried out to remove the growth instead of waiting for the biopsy test results.
The news of cancer left me shocked and confused, and for a good ten seconds or more, my mind went blank, and I just kept looking at the doctor in shock. The cancer news also caused me many sleepless nights. But after a few days, I summoned the courage to face what life had thrown at me.
After a week of being told that j needed surgery, I was admitted to the hospital for a Mastectomy. In the three-hour operation, my breast was removed together with six lymph nodes from under my arm.
I stayed in the hospital for eleven days after the operation, in excruciating pain, because the Surgeons had excavated deep into the tissue in an attempt to remove all suspected cancerous matter from the area. In the eleven days I was in the hospital, I used to get four injections per day, which were extremely painful.
The removed breast and the lymph nodes were sent to India for Cancer tests to confirm whether the growth in my breast was cancerous or not. After three weeks, the results came from India confirming that I had Breast Cancer, STAGE 3.
Due to confirmed results of Breast Cancer, I was referred to the Cancer Diseases Hospital for further cancer treatment. At the Cancer Diseases Hospital, I was put on a Six-Cycle of Chemotherapy treatment, which I used to received once a month over six months. The chemotherapy treatment was a drug administered intravenously and was often very painful.
During chemotherapy treatment and after, there came the side effects of chemotherapy treatment. Each time I had Chemotherapy, I used to vomit a lot and used to lose my appetite for a day plus. I lost the hair on my head and on all other parts of my body where there is hair. My skin and nails on my fingers and toes became black, including the sores on my feet.
After completing chemotherapy treatment, I should have gone through Radiotherapy Treatment, but this didn’t happen because the Radiotherapy Machine at the Cancer Diseases Hospital has been out of service since 2020 up to now.
Since I didn’t go through Radiotherapy, I was put on a cancer drug called TAMOXIFEN, which I take daily, and I had to take this drug for 10 years. I have taken the drug for 4 years and am remaining with 6 years more to go.
About two years back, my remaining right breast swelled, and I panicked that it was cancer, but Mammogram tests, which I have done twice, have fortunately proved it’s not cancer. However, the remaining right breast gets swollen once or, on some occasions, twice in a month. Doctors have advised me not to worry over the swelling of the breast because this is caused by Hormonal Imbalance caused by the removal left breast.
After completing my chemotherapy treatment, I had to go for reviews weekly for three months, followed by every two weeks for three months, then every three months over a long period. Effective December 2024, I have been put on every six months.
Whenever I go for my reviews, the Female breast cancer patients are often curious when I sit as a lone male patient in the Breast Cancer Clinic. When I explain to them that I am a Breast Cancer Survivor, many get shocked, because generally people think men can’t get breast cancer. It is a misconception that I come across often.
For a person who was once very active and healthy, my body is now stiff, weak, and sore due to the side effects of cancer medical. Right now, I can’t jump, and I can’t drive as my bones in my legs are weak due to Chemotherapy treatment, which penetrated a lot into my bones
But all the same, I have trained my mind to be strong and accept that the mind has power. We live and die first in our minds, and we are sick first in our minds. So, my way of coping is to train my mind and heart to be positive!
Post Cancer, through the assistance of The Zambian Cancer Society organization, to which I was introduced by cousin Ellen Banda, I embarked on a mission of sharing my cancer journey and hence raising awareness of cancer and specifically breast cancer in men, though I also give awareness on other types of cancers.
My Story of courage and survival led to me being appointed in September 2024 as Breast Cancer Ambassador by the Zambian Cancer Society. This has also led to me appearing on numerous and various media platforms online.
I first had some reservations about how people would react to my breast cancer story, especially that I am a male breast cancer survivor, and I felt people’s response would be negative, but this has not been the case.
Being open and honest about my Breast Cancer Journey has given me a great feeling of having conquered breast cancer.
My efforts have not gone unnoticed, because within a year of when I started sharing my story, I have been accorded a Global Heroes of Hope award by the American Cancer Society, an award which I sincerely cherish.
To end my story, I wish to state that breast cancer was discovered by chance because I had gone to the hospital to see a doctor over my back pain, which led to the discovery of cancer. I call this being very LUCKY!
I would love to thank my wife, Beatrice, who has always been my co-pilot on this rough journey, and all my children who have been with me throughout and encouraged me to soldier on.
To all my cancer family, please let’s soldier on as one!
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