Breast cancer: Grandfather urges men to check themselves after finding lump
Letterkenny man Pat McLaughlin examined himself after seeing Eastenders storyline about male breast cancer
A Letterkenny man has appealed to men to check themselves for signs of breast cancer after he had a scare with the disease.
Pat McLaughlin went to his GP after finding a lump in his chest but was given the all-clear following an examination at the Breast Centre North West at Letterkenny University Hospital.
The father of four, who has seven grandchildren, is now encouraging men to be aware of the disease and to examine themselves.
The Irish Cancer Society says about 37 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Ireland, compared to about 3,600 women. Most men who get breast cancer are over 60 and obesity seems to increase the risk of the disease.
Mr McLaughlin had suffered headaches after having Covid-19 earlier this year. Worried about the cause of the headaches, he decided to check his chest due to a storyline in the BBC soap opera Eastenders which has seen one of the characters diagnosed with the condition.
“My wife watches it and I was aware of the storyline and I just decided to check myself and I found a lump,” he said. “I had never thought about it in my life but that storyline made me think about it.”
His GP then sent him for an examination as a precaution.
“She said it could be something, it could nothing. She said don't worry, but you do worry about it.”
The wait for an appointment, which took about six weeks, was a worrying time, he said.
The 57-year-old, who is well known in Letterkenny as a soccer coach, said he felt a bit embarrassed being the only man waiting to be examined at the breast clinic, but the women waiting with him encouraged him. “One woman said to me: ‘Fair play to you, there’s not many men come in here’.”
He says having the scare and getting the all-clear has highlighted to him the need for men to be aware of male breast cancer.
“I admit I was a bit scared but I would say to all men, get yourselves checked and don't take it for granted that it is only women that get breast cancer. It's important for all men and I've been telling my sons to check themselves.”