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Florence man overcomes breast cancer diagnosis

Florence Morning News - 10/24/2016

FLORENCE, S.C. ? Breast cancer is 100 times less common among men than women, with about 2,600 new diagnoses each year in the United States.

In April of this year, Lake City High School teacher Jeff Collins became one of those men.

"Up until that point, 49 years of my life, I was healthy, physically fit, ate well, had routine physicals and hardly ever got sick," Collins said. "At some point I felt like I was almost invincible. I was aging gracefully."

Collins remembers the day he first realized the blood spots in his shirt near his right nipple: March 28. He said after seeking medical help, the process was hasty.

"They didn't waste any time," he said. "I think they knew what it was, but they wanted to be sure. I had a mammogram, then an ultrasound and, while that was happening, they immediately said, 'Let's do a biopsy.'"

Collins was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called papillary carcinoma of the right breast, which accounts for less than 2 percent of breast cancer diagnoses.

Fortunately for Collins, the tumor was operable without the long, arduous process of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Collins had a full mastectomy, and his tumor was removed on April 25.

From diagnosis to being declared cancer-free, Collins' bout with breast cancer happened within a month's time. That was a timeframe too short for Collins to fully comprehend.

For Collins, the physical recovery was temporary, but the emotional recovery was just beginning.

"About three or four weeks in, I started healing, but some of the depression started setting in," he said. "I started realizing, hey, I just had cancer. The scar is a constant reminder. Every time I shower or take my shirt off at night, I'm reminded that I just went through something really big."

He said an important aspect for men to remember is that breast cancer can affect men, despite it being more prevalent among women.

The American Cancer Society estimates 440 men will die from breast cancer this year alone. Collins' advice is to stay vigilant and get yourself checked if something seems off.

"Having breast cancer doesn't make you any less of a man," he said. "I'd like to make more men aware that men can get breast cancer too. It's something we all know, but you don't think about it until it hits home. It can happen to any man."

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