Ten years ago, Dave Talbot, 67, realised something wasn’t quite right when he noticed a lump between his nipple and armpit. Although he didn’t really know what to make of it, he knew he needed to seek medical attention and, within the weeks that followed, he was diagnosed with breast cancer – something which around 390 men are diagnosed with each year in the UK.
“In August 2015 I was in Florida and I was in the shower and I felt a lump in my right breast. Clearly something wasn’t right, so I decided that when I got back home I’d go to the doctor as soon as possible,” he tells The Mirror.
“When I was a very young child, my brother died of leukaemia, so my mum hammered it into me that if something isn’t quite right with your body after a couple of weeks, and it was a couple of weeks by the time I got home, that you go to the doctor to get it checked.”
While at the GP, Dave was told that it could possibly be fatty tissue because of his age, though he was referred to a breast cancer surgeon to be absolutely sure. A couple of weeks later, the breast cancer surgeon told him something similar, that, given his age, it was likely to be fatty tissue. However, that all changed after having an ultrasound.
“It was one of those moments where you can see somebody’s face change. He said ‘this doesn’t look right’, so he did a biopsy there and then and a week later I was sat back in front of him with my wife being told I had breast cancer,” recalls Dave.
“I was vaguely aware that men could get breast cancer, so in that sense it wasn’t a total surprise. But the fact I was being told I had cancer, I think the reaction for most people when you first get that diagnosis is your first question is ‘how long have I got?’. It hits you like a sledgehammer. The hospital was really good, we went and saw a breast cancer nurse immediately afterwards and there were a few tears but then the battle began.”
As part of his treatment, Dave underwent a mastectomy and lymph node removal alongside 20 sessions of radiotherapy and six rounds of chemotherapy. Afterwards, he went on to long-term drug treatment. Right from the start of his diagnosis, he decided to tackle things head-on.
“The day that I was diagnosed, I volunteered for the London MoonWalk which is a 26 mile walk through the night for breast cancer. I thought I’d do that to make a point that I wasn’t going to be beholden to the disease. That decision was life-changing,” he says.
“Breast cancer is not something you would choose to have, but it’s had such a positive effect on my wider life. It led to me being involved with Breast Cancer Now which then led to me sitting on a committee that directs the treatment of breast cancer nationally and now I sit on NHS research committees. I think it’s made me a better person as well.”
Although less than 1% of breast cancer cases in the UK are in males, Dave has never been afraid of opening up about his diagnosis. In May 2016, weeks after having his last chemotherapy, he delivered a talk in front of 2,000-plus police officers at their national conference in which he raised awareness of breast cancer in men, all while dressed in a bright pink suit.
“The knock on effect of that was after the event I was running a stand in relation to IT, and the federation had built it for me in bright pink and they also provided a sofa because they knew I still wasn’t that well. I had one guy come up to me and he said, ‘I’ve got a lump in my breast and I’m now going to see my GP’. I never found out the result of that, but it’s nice to think that perhaps what I’d done had potentially saved somebody’s life,” he explains.
“Even in that male dominated environment, nobody ever tried to make a joke of it or tried to belittle the fact that I was a man with breast cancer.”
As a result of his own experience, Dave, who had the all-clear in 2017, is determined to spread the word that men can be affected by breast cancer and will be taking part in this year’s The Show by Breast Cancer Now. “I’m really quite excited. I mean, I stood in front of those 2,000 police officers in a pink suit so I’m not afraid of putting myself out there. My wife would tell you that I have absolutely zero fashion sense, but I’m really looking forward to it,” he laughs.
“Charities like Breast Cancer Now have been absolutely game-changing in terms of raising awareness of breast cancer in men. The problem is a lot of men don’t know they can get it. I’ve been supported by Breast Cancer Now in making men aware that they can have breast cancer.”
He is also keen to encourage men to seek medical attention if they have any persistent health concerns, whatever they may be. “Men are really bad at going to the doctor and the older we get, the worse we get. I’ve got a number of friends who I’ve lost – the friend who had backache for months and just thought he was getting old, the guy who had a persistent cough but had never smoked – both of those guys suddenly passed away,” he says.
“It’s getting that message out there that if your body changes, and it’s still there after a couple of weeks, go and see your doctor.”
For more information about The Show by Breast Cancer Now, visit breastcancernow.org
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