Kym McKean
Aged 47 going on 48 years as at August 2005
Diagnosed 2002 at age 45 and lives in Sydney Western Suburbs, Australia

I was lying in bed one night and felt this lump in my chest under my nipple. I left it for a few months and felt for it again. It was bigger so I went and saw the doctor. He sent me for tests. I had to have a needle biopsy and next thing I knew I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and referred to Dr Lim.

You know. I only thought women got breast cancer and it was such a shock to me.

Within seven days, I was in Campbelltown Hospital having a mastectomy operation during which they removed the lump, breast tissue, muscle and nipple from my chest and also took 19 lymph nodes from under my arm. This was then followed by radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

This now means for me that I have a large scar across my chest and under my arm and no nipple, which really feels a bit weird and I am a bit self conscious about it, so don’t go for wearing swim suits and that type of stuff that shows my chest.
 
You know I have read lot of bad things about Campbelltown Hospital and its staff, but for me they were great and I would go back there any day.

I have never forgotten the guy they sent to visit me, a volunteer, and a nice bloke who lived around the Emu Plains area. I said to him “So where did you have it?” He said “Which time?” I said “What do you mean?” He said “I have had it twice and both sides removed.”

After my treatment finished I kept getting my regular checkups and then one day about a year and a half later, the lump reappeared so I had to see Dr Lim again and he put me into day surgery at Camden Hospital and took the lump out and more muscle. The lump was in the same place where the nipple and breast tissue had been removed before.

I have a lot of numbness under the back of the arm, but I think that is gradually getting better and since the operation I have always done a great deal of exercise to make certain I got the use back in my arm so I could play sport.

As time progresses I am living with it as it has been part of me since I had the operation anyway.

I reckon often guys who have a lump near or under the nipple are too embarrassed to go to the doctor and they say “It’s a woman’s problem. I'm a man and I'm not going to get it.” but it’s there and they can get it.

So guys, if you see or feel any lumps or changes get them checked out and don't think you’re a woos for doing it cause it’s better you’re alive than dead.

There is nothing out there for us guys like the big mobile vans and things that come around for the women, so it’s really important to make certain that we all take ownership of our own body health by checking and looking for changes and do something about it if there is by seeing our doctor.

'Guys Stuff' is a great start for guys to learn about something we as males don’t really want to hear about. The fact that www.yapstuff.org is also being designed to enable it to be a teaching tool for all high schools covering males and females in Australia is just terrific. This means that younger guys from the ages of 13 to 18 years will learn about breast cancer in guys from an early age and not feel the stigma that I felt and still feel at my age.

I like also that 'Guys Stuff' refers to it as ‘Pecs’ rather than ‘Breast’ as for me it makes it a male thing.