For Daniel DiNardo, 49, fighting breast cancer is a family affair.
“If it wasn’t for them and if it wasn’t for God, I’d be nothing.”
It was back in 2015, the Youngstown engineer felt a lump on the right side of his chest.
“I initially seen something small near my, around my areola right area and had it scanned…did a biopsy and realized it was Stage 3 advanced at that point.”
With no family history of breast cancer and no risk factors, Daniel had a mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy, radiation and the cancer drug tamoxifen.
But after being in remission for only a few months, his cancer returned.
“It metastasized into my femoral ball in my left hip; there’s a spot on my spine, couple spots in my lymph nodes, in my chest.”
“Breast cancer in men is much less common, about one-percent of breast cancers occur in men.”
And Cleveland Clinic oncologist Doctor Halle Moore says, because of that, most men often ignore the signs.
“A lot of men will disregard that, think that maybe it’s just a cyst and not think that it’s something that requires attention.”
The American Cancer Society estimates close to 2,700 new cases of invasive male breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year and about 500 men will die from the disease.
Warning signs can include a lump or swelling, skin dimpling, nipple retraction and redness or scaling.
DiNardo’s wife, Sarah, said, “We want to teach our children, you can either wake up and cry and woe is me or you can get up and fight.”
Daniel is choosing the latter: fighting for his wife, his four children and himself.
“I get my strength from my family and I get my strength from my faith.”
Daniel’s initial prognosis was six months, and nearly one year later, he is still fighting for his life.
He says he’s sharing his story in hopes of urging other men to get tested.
**More stories on breast cancer awareness, here**
Men get it too: Youngstown engineer shares story of breast cancer battle – WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland
