Male Breast Cancer

Michigan State Representative Ken Goike

Ken Goike male breast cancerMichigan State Representative Ken Goike has been touched by breast cancer and has yet to go through surgery, radiation or chemotherapy treatments.

“Breast cancer is really something that is also very near and dear to me because it’s something I have to be aware of,” said Rep. Ken Goike, who has lost two spouses to different forms of cancer. “I’ve had two mammograms in the past two years because I have lumps on my left breast. It does affect men and I’d like to get that word out as well.

“It’s not only a women’s issue,” he emphasized. “It’s a men’s issue as well.”

Breast cancer is often a devastating issue for anyone diagnosed with it, but perspective is still possible to help during the fight.

 

Source:

Legislators: Hope, optimism are key when dealing with breast cancer

Senator Edward Brooke

Senator Edward Brooke male breast cancerEdward William Brooke, III was Senator from Massachusetts; born in Washington, D.C., October 26, 1919. Brooke was elected attorney general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1962 and reelected in 1964. Brooke then was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1966 and reelected in 1972.

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Edward Brooke on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

In September 2002, he was diagnosed with breast cancer and assumed a national role in raising awareness of the disease among men.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on June 23, 2004 and the Congressional Gold Medal on July 1, 2008. He was a resident of Coral Gables, Florida until his death on January 3, 2015. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

 

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Brooke
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000871

Peter Devereaux

Peter Devereaux male breast cancerPeter Devereaux, a U.S. marine, was remembered with a moment of silence at the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) Advocate Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, on May 2, 2015. He had been a member of NBCC and active in the organization since 2008; his advocacy efforts were focused upon education and awareness of breast cancer in men.

Peter was diagnosed in January 2008 with Stage III breast cancer, and was treated at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. A year later, he found out that the cancer had metastasized to his bones. He died on August 21, 2014 at the age of 52.

As a marine, Peter Devereaux had been stationed at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina where toxic chemicals such as trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated the drinking water at a level up to 280 times higher than the acceptable standard. The cause of the contamination was due to improper industrial waste practices and leakage from fuel storage tanks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 500,000 and 1 million people were exposed to the contaminated water from 1953 to 1987 after which the last of several contaminated wells were closed.  According to the CDC, 83 men who have lived or were stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC have been identified as diagnosed with breast cancer; this is one of the highest clusters of male breast cancer documented to date. The CDC has documented a link between exposure to Camp Lejeune tap water and increased risks of birth defects and childhood cancers, as well as, increased risk of death from cancers of the cervix, esophagus, kidney and liver, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Whether exposure to the contaminated water also increased the risk of male breast cancer, remains under investigation.

Michigan Breast Cancer Coalition aims to increase awareness and educate Michigan residents and lawmakers about how to minimize our exposure to environmental toxins that may increase breast cancer risk.

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For more information about male breast cancer, go to www.MaleBreastCancerCoalition.org