October marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a disease that strikes mainly women, but doctors say people need to understand it can also happen to men.<\/p>\n
Juan Namnun, the baseball coach at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, is also a breast cancer patient.<\/p>\n
“Shock, it’s hard to put in words when you hear, ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, there’s no easy way, you have cancer,'” he said. “I knew very little about it; it never crossed my mind.”<\/p>\n
The 47-year-old Delran, New Jersey, father of three ended up having a double mastectomy.<\/p>\n
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do emotionally and physically,” he said.<\/p>\n
Namnun said months of physical therapy were torture as simple activities were painful.<\/p>\n
“Open refrigerator doors, I couldn’t because they took so much muscle mass out, steering wheel, holding umbrella, things of that nature, so life has been a huge challenge, but I’m on my way back,” Namnun said.<\/p>\n
Namnun is in a rare group of about 2,800 men who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, just 1% of all cases.<\/p>\n
“I think most men are relatively unaware that they can get breast cancer,” Dr. Lori Timmerman, of Virtua Health, said.<\/p>\n
Timmerman, a breast cancer surgeon, said men like Namnun need to check themselves because there are no screening guidelines.<\/p>\n
“So, usually it’s a change to your breast tissue, either thickening of the nipple, a nodule in your breast tissue or in your chest area, and it’s something that’s there and then doesn’t go away,” Timmerman said.<\/p>\n
Namnun is now taking chemotherapy drugs and is relieved to be back at the ballpark.<\/p>\n
Namnun is also working on raising awareness about male breast cancer with a special baseball event to help crush cancer.<\/p>\n
Namnun and his wife, Lena, are the founders of the Philadelphia Public League Coaches vs. Cancer Baseball Fest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s a one-day event to help “crush” cancer.<\/p>\n
The event attracts about 200 people annually and has raised $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, Juan Namnun invited Timmerman to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the tournament.<\/p>\n