A retired college professor was appalled to learn he had breast cancer – and only received the diagnosis after he was struck in the nipple during a game of pickleball.
Ronald Norman, 76, penned an op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune about his discovery that he was part of around one in 1,000 men who catch the disease.
The former instructor, who taught at San Diego State University and Grossmont College before settling in Del Sur, California, was playing pickleball in June 2022 when his opponent slammed a ball into his right breast.
Norman ‘doubled over,’ as the hit knocked the wind out of him, describing the impact as ‘possibly the hardest I have ever been hit playing pickleball for over 12 years.’ However, he was able to resume the match.
A few weeks later, the 76-year-old noticed a black-and-blue lump behind his nipple and assumed it was just a bruise. Over the next few weeks, the discoloration disappeared but the lump lingered.
Ronald Norman, 76, wrote an op-ed where he shared his shock experience being diagnosed with male breast cancer
The retired professor (pictured with his wife Caralie) only learned of the cancer after he was whacked in the chest during a pickleball match
The 76-year-old assumed that the black-and-blue lump on his right nipple was just a bruise, but when the lump stayed put, he sought a nurse practitioner and learned that it was a tumor
That September, Norman sought out a nurse practitioner. ‘She took one look at it and said, “This does not look good; I am ordering a mammogram as it could be breast cancer,”‘ he wrote.
The ex-professor was appalled. ‘What? Breast cancer? Me? No way! No real cancer history in my family tree.’
But he went for a mammogram and received the official diagnosis – male breast cancer.
An echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to create images, was ordered with a view of Norman’s right armpit lymph nodes. A PET scan ‘lit up’ not just the cancerous mound, but at least three of the nodes.
His diagnosis was heightened to stage 2 to 3 breast cancer.
‘If only I had reacted sooner, I might have caught the cancer before it metastasized into my lymph nodes,’ Norman wrote. ‘But playing the “if only” or “why me?” game was not helpful. Staying positive and willing to seek corrective action was the best strategy.’
After speaking with doctors and loved ones, Norman chose to pursue an ‘alternative, more natural’ method of treatment, and saw the tumor shrink after four months.
He regularly received infusions of small amounts of chemotherapy tailored specifically to his blood work and did not experience any traditional side effects of chemo.
A PET scan revealed that the cancer had spread to lymph nodes in his right armpit, and the diagnosis was heightened to stage 2 to 3 breast cancer
Norman underwent a slew of treatments including the use of estrogen blockers. His body produced higher-than-usual levels of the hormone for years, which may have caused cancer
He encourages other men to examine their own chests regularly and report any suspicious lumps to a doctor, warning: ‘You want to catch it as early as possible’
‘I thought all was going great. Unfortunately, once the program ended my tumor was still there,’ Norman wrote.
He was ultimately forced to undergo a mastectomy to remove his right breast and the cancerous armpit lymph nodes.
It was followed by eight rounds of chemo over a 16-week period, and then six weeks of five-days-a-week of radiation.
For five years after that, he was told that he would have to take an estrogen-blocking medication, as his body was producing more estrogen than normal, which may have been the source of his breast cancer.
Norman has since completed eight rounds of chemo and was awaiting the start of radiation therapy, a treatment that kills cells using high beams of energy.
‘Thankfully, most chemo side effects have been avoided except for a sore tongue, partial numbness in my fingers/toes, no fingerprints, loss of hair (I didn’t have much anyway!) and ongoing limited or loss of energy,’ the retired professor wrote.
‘To me, these are short-term sacrifices for the potential of long-term future health. And what made the difference for me was an incredible support group of family and friends throughout my journey.’
While ‘annual mammograms are an option,’ Norman encourages men to examine their chests many times throughout the year.
‘If you feel something lumpy, then for sure get it checked out by your primary care physician,’ he urged.
‘It might be nothing, a cyst, or it could be “the big C,” and if it’s “the big C,” you want to catch it as early as possible.’
According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk for male breast cancer is around one in 833.
Scientists have yet to fully understand the causes of breast cancer in men, but they have identified several factors that may increase the risk. Many factors are related to the body’s sex hormone levels.
Aging is also an important component, as risk increases as a man grows older. On average, men with breast cancer are about 72 years old when they are diagnosed.
Breast cancer risk is increased if other members of the family (blood relatives) have had breast cancer. About 1 out of 5 men with breast cancer have a close relative, male or female, with the disease.
Other factors that may increase risk include heavy drinking (possibly due to alcohol’s effect on the liver, which balances sex hormone levels), obesity and radiation exposure.
