Survivors use humor to spread the message about breast cancer in men

Just a month before the walk, 55-year-old Morris was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Morris, a former Pasadena resident of Pearland, discovered a lump in his left breast while taking a shower that September. At the recommendation of his wife, he had his doctor check it. He assured him that growth was probably fat deposits and nothing to worry about. But Morris wasn’t convinced.

“I didn’t feel good, his rating didn’t sit comfortably on me,” he said.

Again, at the suggestion of his wife, Morris planned a visit with Dr. Dixie Melillo. rose, Houston Breast Cancer Diagnostic Center, and mammograms and ultrasound suggested malignant tumors.

“When I hear that a woman has (breast cancer), it’s treatable, but all tests and results are done for women, not men,” he said. “Until I did a biopsy, I didn’t know how bad it was or how big the tumor was. That was my main concern, spread and stage. I was scared.”

He received the news a month later on Friday, October 18th.

“I was working when the nurse called me and asked if I could come,” Morris said. “It gave me a feeling of sinking, because it’s usually not the best news when a doctor wants to see you right away.”

A biopsy confirmed that he had stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer.

“I didn’t even know that men could get breast cancer,” he said.

For Morris, the diagnosis was the beginning of an unexpected journey.

by statistics Less than 1% of breast cancer cases nationwide, posted by the Susan G. Comen Breast Cancer Foundation, occur in men, but men are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage.

“Men are taught to check the bottom, not the top,” Morris said. “I never did, it was a coincidence that I found (lump).”

According to Dorothy Gibbons, co-founder of The Rose, there is a reason.

“There isn’t much education about breast cancer in men, and when it happens, it’s very unexpected,” Gibbons said. “There are many resources for women with breast cancer, but even in breast cancer support groups for different types of women, men are left to protect themselves.”

Research and funding are also factors. Rose Appoints Male Breast Cancer Survivor, Ronnie PaceTo the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Committee, he works with researchers to determine programs for further research.

“He continues to insist on funding, noting that the Pentagon has not allocated funding for men’s breast cancer research and that there are not many research proposals for that purpose.” Gibbons said.

In the case of Morris, the prognosis was good. Morris’ cancer was detected early in Stage 2 and MD Anderson began the treatment process within a few weeks. Due to the location of the cancer, Morris’s surgeon recommended a mastectomy of his left breast.

“He (the surgeon) was determined to take the entire breast so that the cancer wouldn’t invade additional tissue around the breast,” he said.

In the process, Morris experienced all the anxieties of facing the unknown.

He said there was a stage.

Follow recommendations for diagnosis, surgery, and withstanding intense chemotherapy to reduce the chance of recurrence.

“They gave the strongest chemotherapy they had for breast cancer,” he said.

From January to June, Morris received 16 rounds of intense chemotherapy.

“That was the hardest part,” he said.

Morris’ wife, Annette, saw her father caring for her mother through breast cancer, and it was painful that she couldn’t be on her husband’s side throughout the treatment because of the pandemic. Said.

“I told him from the beginning that I was with him throughout the process,” she said. “Suddenly, because of COVID, I couldn’t do that. It was devastating to me because I made that promise, and I couldn’t be there, I could fulfill my promise Couldn’t. When you get married, you promise “illness and health” — and here it’s what you do it. If something goes wrong, you won’t be able to run. “

Morris lost her hair, but it didn’t bother him.

“My biggest emotion was what it looked like without a shirt, but I got over it,” he said.

In working with the community, Rose said Rose is working to raise awareness of breast cancer in men, saying that men are not diagnosed as often as women, but their cancer is more aggressive. It pointed out.