Featured Story

In Praise of Breast Cancer Women: A Male Survivor’s Perspective

by Rod Ritchie

Over the past 10 years, as a male breast cancer patient, so many medical and lay women helped me, from diagnosis to treatment and beyond. When my GP gave me the news that my biopsy revealed Inflammatory Breast Cancer, she had a team of experienced specialists lined up for me, all women.   

Cancer Specialists 

The first person I saw, a very experienced breast surgeon, could see at first glance that I needed neo-adjuvant chemotherapy to tame a very inflamed left breast before a much-needed mastectomy. She sent me to one of the best local oncologists who worked out a plan. Over 18 weeks, one day each three weeks, I underwent a regimen of three infusions of the FEC (Fluorouracil, Ellence, and Cytoxan) and three of Docetaxol. Her advice to me was: “don’t have any preconceived notions about any stage of the treatment”. This served me well, and I had a dream run, worry free, through this important stage of treatment.  

The surgery that followed was complex because the cancer was in the chest wall behind the nipple, and included an axillary clearance which showed 2 out of 23 lymph nodes were tumorous. The surgeon was non-plussed when I asked if there was to be reconstruction. She explained that the lack of extra material found in the typical man makes it harder and actually inhibits her work to remove the affected tissue.

A Message From Terry

I’d like to welcome you to the second edition of Walking on Quicksand. This online magazine has been a dream of ours for quite a while, and we are very pleased to see how well it has been received. The content and genuine conversations shared with us by people navigating this disease have been incredibly encouraging. The honesty, rawness, transparency, and vulnerability shown are not only inspiring but can also be a catalyst for change, as we engage in these heartfelt discussions.

We hope you enjoy this issue and share it with your friends. We also encourage you to consider submitting your own stories or encouraging someone else to submit, because your voice matters.

Hope Always,

Terry Lynn Arnold

Terry Arnold

Terry Arnold

Founder

This issue sponsored solely by

If you are interested in sponsoring our next issue either personally or as a business, please email us at hello@theibcnetwork.org.

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