Men diagnosed with breast cancer

Giovanna_BCNA

Hello everyone,

BCNA are keen to connect with any men currently members of our online community who have been diagnosed with early or metastatic breast cancer.  We would like to hear from you, as we plan to start some discussions regarding the current issues facing men with breast cancer and their families.

If you have some time and are interested in being involved, and connecting with other men who have been diagnosed, please email Anna with your contact details.  The meeting will be held at BCNA with the option of attending via zoom.   

We look forward to hearing from you.  For further information and to reply please email – [email protected]

Thanking you

Regards Giovanna

BlackWidow

Thank you for highlighting that men are part of our community on this site.  I think sometimes they are forgotten.  Come on men, please put your voice out there.

Sister

We've had a few blokes come on here before.  It's always good to hear from them.

traveltext

I'm still around. See a Perth man has just posted. Better see what's up.

SoldierCrab

About bloody time BCNA ..... sorry but frustrated with lack of services and acknowledgement of men with BC on here. 

You might get some more input if you ask Men on the facebook page for BC here is the link https://www.facebook.com/mensbreastcancerforum 

SoldierCrab

@traveltext so glad you are still around 
always advocating for men and looking after yourself I hope. 

traveltext

Thanks @SoldierCrab I'm still around, and doing well. I trust you're okay, too.

 It's not all BCNA's fault that men are not posting here, but they could try harder. For instance, they insist on everything being pink. If they just put a bit of blue on their publicity material people would say, what's the blue for? Oh that's for the men!

I'm going to get them to try harder this Pinktober.

SoldierCrab

Good on you Traveltext I am travelling well...  nearly 9yrs since dx so I am very happy to be here. Below is October 2019 we had mini field of men and women in Bathurst NSW I had blue ones made from cardboard  

traveltext

Very nice @SoldierCrab love it, thanks so much! And, I'd love @BCNA to put this on their promotional martial.

June1952

It somehow seems like a step too far for them @traveltext.
The pink may be 'recognisable' but it would not hurt to add a bit of blue !  😁
I think this has been part of conversations over a few years but to no avail.

traveltext

Thanks for the support @June1952 I have been on about this for the past five or more years and @BCNA have a tin ear on the topic. Each year they go the "full pink" as though the guys don't matter. Their awareness campaigns are not explaining properly that men get the disease, too. Research has shown that men present later with the disease and end up with a poorer prognosis. Not sure this charity cares, otherwise they would make an effort to put some blue in their advertising. 

FLClover

You make a very good point @traveltext 😕

Afraser

Personally I’’d be happy if the campaign went purple! Or all blue. Or green and blue .......as you may gather, I’m not keen on pink. Very ‘girly’ ....and bc isn’t, even for women! 

June1952

I have a high regard for BCNA (and they appear in my Will) but they are really not listening to the ladies out there who would love their husbands/sons/brothers/nephews/fathers/uncles to know that they may not feed their babies through breast feeding but they can still get breast cancer.  PLEASE, staff at BCNA, think about adding those blue ribbons  Get with the times !

strongtogether

I have to say I disagree.
BCNA do fantastic work and this is a total  non-issue. I suffer from a chronic, incurable disease which is associated with a coloured ribbon: purple. Does that mean I am ...what? Transgender? A grape? A jellyfish? It's just a coloured ribbon. That's it. The purple ribbon is a symbol that's associated with epilepsy.
Pink ribbons are associated with breast cancer. That's it.

"Pink is for girls and blue is for boys," said 1989. 
Come to think about it... Pink is not "for girls" and blue is not "for boys". It's not 1989.

 Why though? Who decided that?

In the 19th century blue was actually the color that was meant to be for girls, because it was seen as a dainty color, and pink was seen as a stronger color. 

My experience has been that there are strong women and strong men, and that colours don't really come into it.

 In the 1960’s the women’s liberation movement through out this social norm and threw gendered colors out the window. Ultrasound scans brought them back. 

traveltext

If pink is not for girls, why do BCNA run with it so extensively. Look at the logo for goodness sake. It's still 1989 at BCNA.

This is a life and death issue for men because the pink charities have failed to educate the public that the disease is genderless. Research has shown that 70% of men don't think they can get breast cancer. When they present with lumps many, and I was one, are turned away. Our later diagnosis leads to a poorer prognosis. We're more likely to die of the disease than women are.

Not everyone cares about our dilemma, but I would expect a breast cancer charity to make more of an effort to resolve the issue.