As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a Lewisville nurse and breast cancer survivor is sharing his story and passion about male breast cancer awareness.
Medical City Lewisville’s Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Kyle Bryan, is a longtime critical care nurse and was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 35. He is now 37, in remission, and passionate about cancer care and awareness, hoping for other young men to recognize the signs.
In a blog post with the Sarah Cannon Center Institute at Medical City Lewisville, Bryan discussed how he noticed a sore on his right nipple and thought it was just an abrasion, but after several months, he noticed it never healed and the skin was beginning to deteriorate, which is often a sign of skin cancer.
Bryan made an appointment with his dermatologist, and a biopsy revealed it was actually breast cancer.
“I was shocked,” Bryan said in the blog post. “I had prepared myself for skin cancer but because I was a male, and quite young, breast cancer hadn’t crossed my mind. But, I’m a nurse – I KNEW THIS! I knew men could get breast cancer but we often go to the ‘bump or lump’ mentality; this was a great reminder that cancer can manifest itself in many ways.”
Six weeks after diagnosis, Kyle had a bilateral mastectomy and because the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, he had chemotherapy and radiation as well. He completed his treatment in early 2017 and is in remission.
“I’m sharing my story because I want everyone to be aware that this can happen to them,” Bryan said. “Be aware of changes in your body, even small ones, and if something seems off, get it checked. If I had caught it sooner, I may not have had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. This has taught me such a lesson – now I don’t delay anything in my life!”
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