'I started looking around for cameras in the room, thinking men don't get breast cancer'

SURVIVOR Gormanston man overcame his shock at being diagnosed with breast cancer to become a leading advocate for condition that affects 1 in 1,000 men

A GORMANSTON man who is a breast cancer survivor is the Co Meath Ambassador for the Very Pink Run which takes place in three locations in Ireland over the next few weeks.

Dara McDonough is taking part because he wants to raise awareness of the fact that men get breast cancer too.

"When I was told I had breast cancer I was completely shocked. The doctor might as well have told me I was pregnant. I didn't think it was possible," he said.

Dara will be taking part The Very Pink Run at Leopardstown Race Course on 30th September, Kilkenny Castle Park on Sunday 1st October and at MTU in Cork on 8th October.

The Very Pink Run has seen 78,000 participants from over 40 countries take part to date, raising over €6 million for ground breaking breast cancer research, and returns this year in both a physical and a ‘virtual’ sense. People can also take part in a virtual sense in their own local communities any time between 30th September and 8th October.

Dara's breast cancer journey started in January 2021.

"I had been out for a run, and in the shower afterwards noticed a lump on my chest. It was quite prominent, just underneath the skin at the top of my ribcage, the size of a thumbnail.

"I wasn't overly concerned as it wasn’t painful."

He quickly forgot about it and went about his daily business. However, the next morning, the lump was still there.

"I made an appointment with Dr Oliver Lynn who asked me to come back a few days later to have the lump scanned and the results were sent to Dublin.

"Within two weeks I was at the Breast Care Centre in the Mater Hospital. Professor Maurice Stokes said it looked suspicious so I had a biopsy and mammogram and a week later I was told I had breast cancer.

"While I was in the waiting room, I realised I was the only male there and experienced some odd looks.

"When I walked into the room for the results, there were two breast care nurses also in attendance who were very kind, asking me to sit down.

"I was told the lump was cancerous, that I had breast cancer. I honestly started looking around for cameras in the room, thinking men don’t get breast cancer."

The following week, he had a mastectomy. A few days later he was released from hospital and went back to work fairly quickly.

When he had his mastectomy, his doctor also removed some lymph nodes to see if the cancer had travelled. It would be two weeks before the results would come back and Dara admits those two weeks of waiting were incredibly difficult.

“I had to get back to work, keep my mind busy, otherwise I would have gone mad,” Dara admits.

Luckily, they found no trace of the cancer travelling and he got the welcome news that he didn’t need further treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation, he would just need weekly drainage. Luckily for Dara, they discovered his cancer quite early.

When he told people he had breast cancer, the reaction was one of shock.

"The amount of people who think that men can’t get breast cancer, including myself before I was diagnosed, is shocking."

He remembers asking his consultant what would have happened if he hadn’t have come in when he did? His consultant replied, “More than likely, the treatment options would have included chemotherapy, radiotherapy or more. The tumor would have grown, possibly becoming invasive and potentially travelling to the lymph nodes, spreading further to the bones, lung etc.”

"It’s so important to get your symptoms checked and not to ignore them," he said.

Dara feels very lucky to have had the outcome he's had.

He just wishes people realised that men could get breast cancer too. His consultant told him that one in 1,000 men get breast cancer.

Dara was delighted to become a Very Pink Ambassador to highlight male breast cancer.

"It is rare, but men can get it and it kills men just as easily as kills our sisters. We need to be aware of it and to check out any unusual symptoms," he said.