|
From The Observer News
(www.observernews.net) Top Stories
Information printed by that organization says even though men do not have “breasts” like women, breast tissue is still present. Last week, I met two male breast cancer survivors who spend time spreading the word that men aren’t safe from this disease. They say men need to do self-checks and keep their eyes open for signs of lumps or irregularities just like women do. The two are also involved in the fight for a cure. Dan Donegan now 69, had surgery in 2002, followed by radiation. During his bout with breast cancer he wrote an email and sent it to every man he could think of. “You’ve got to be as concerned about your breasts as you are about your testicles,” he said. His new motto is “Let’s put some blue in that pink,” referring to the symbolic pink ribbon women have adopted as a symbol of fighting breast cancer. “I never felt a lump, just a presence,” Dan said. But he had had testicular cancer in 1975 and knew he didn’t feel “just right.” Herb Wagner, now 66, had no history of cancer at all and neither did anyone else in his family. Still, the semi-retired chemist from Canada who spends part of each year in the States is a 4-year survivor and has become very involved with raising awareness. He’s even been a model in Wrangler’s “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” campaign and is Mr. December in its calendar. “This campaign is being joined by other Western wear companies and many people from the rodeo industry,” said Herb, aptly dressed in a bright pink shirt and cowboy hat for our interview at the Sun City Center McDonalds last week. “You can learn all about it at www.toughenoughtowearpink.com and also learn more about male breast cancer at www.malebreastcancer.ca,” he said. I checked out both Web sites and found a wealth of information, including a list of risk factors. They include: Aging (the average age of diagnosis is between 60 and 70); family history (including women); inherited gene mutations (that can now be pinpointed through new types of DNA testing); alcohol consumption; radiation exposure (from previous cancer treatments); estrogen therapy (which is often given for prostate cancer); obesity and liver disease. “But I think a lot of it is just the luck of the draw,” said Herb, who has also had two artificial hip replacements; a new knee; and a pacemaker but still dances regularly and plays a lot of golf. “I was misdiagnosed in 2004 but another doctor found it in 2005. He scheduled me for a mammogram right away and within four days I’d had surgery. I had to postpone it that long to complete arrangements for a golf tournament I was planning or it would have been immediate.” Since then Herb has become active in H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center’s “Seek & Speak Your Story” program and has talked to dozens of groups. During our interview, the two men swapped information. They had not met each other before, yet immediately shared a bond. One of the things they mentioned often- and that Dan had talked about in his email to his friends, of which he gave me a copy- is that the whole “breast thing” is totally female oriented from the forms they filled out to the questions they were asked and the whole mammography process. “Now I have finally begun to understand how women feel about all the things in life that are totally male oriented,” Dan said. What you can do to help Teams are forming now for the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure being held around the country. The Tampa Bay race is scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. To obtain a registration form, call (800) 996-3day. Many local groups take part in that event. “We walk every year,” said Michelle Grady of the Barefoot Divas. Information about that group’s charitable activities may be found at www.barefootdivas.net Woman golfers in Sun City Center take a different approach. Any woman who is a member of any of the golf associations in Sun City Center or Kings Point may play in a joint event, Rally for the Cure, Oct. 23 with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. at the Sandpiper Golf Club. “Details are posted at all the golf clubs around town,” said Nan Dorsey who is helping publicize the event. All women playing will pay a $40 entry fee and profits will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, she said. Anyone who cannot attend but wants to donate to the Sun City Center total may send their checks (made out to the foundation) to Connie Holl, 1616 Bentwood Drive, Sun City Center, FL 33573. People from other communities around South County may check out www.rallyforthecure.com to find out more about the foundation, and all the events connected with Rally for the Cure. © Copyright 2008 by The Observer News Publications and M&M Printing |
