A man who was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer is now encouraging others to check their bodies.
Jim Allen was diagnosed with the disease in August 2018 after being told for years that the lump on his chest was a cyst.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with around 55,000 women and 400 men diagnosed every year.
Most men who get breast cancer are over 60 although younger men can be affected too. In Wales around 20 men are diagnosed with the disease every year, reports Wales Online.
Jim, 65, explained that he found a lump after he saw an advert encouraging people to check their bodies.
He said: "When I saw the advert that said everyone should check for breast lumps I did just that. I felt a small, hidden pea-sized lump in the middle of my chest.
"I had no other symptoms other than this little lump. I thought: 'I've seen this advert. I'll go and see the doctor'. When I went they told me not to worry, it was just a cyst, and so I left it. I had it for about four years and during that four-year period I think I went back to the doctor's about three times about it because I had lost some weight and it had turned into a red boil.
"Once it's there you can't stop looking at it. I thought it was a cyst so I tried to squeeze and break it. It wasn't painful at all. Three to four doctors had analysed it and each time I was told it was cyst. I never thought it was anything else."
In 2018 the retired lighting technician, who lives in Llangollen in Denbighshire, was planning on going on holiday and wanted to get rid of the cyst ahead of his planned trip. Jim said: "I was planning on sunbathing and I didn't want this big boil on my chest. So I went to a nearby health centre in which there was a doctor there that could do small surgeries.
"He agreed to take the cyst out with a local anaesthetic. He started digging and he did build up quite a sweat on himself. The digging took about 20 minutes or so but he did manage to take it out. He then told me he would send it for a biopsy."
But a few days later Jim would receive a phone call from the doctor. "He asked if I could come back to the surgery," Jim said. "He was in total shock and he seemed more upset than me. He told me I had male breast cancer." He added: "I didn't know what to think. A week later I was in the cancer ward and I had a mammogram."
Jim would have to get his lymph nodes removed and undergo a mastectomy and radiotherapy during his cancer treatment at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in Wrexham. While the treatment and care he received was "amazing", he said, he felt lonely as he was the only man receiving treatment for breast cancer on his ward during that time.
"I never met any men going through breast cancer," he said. "I think I felt a bit isolated. All the nurses and doctors were wonderful. There are quite a few support groups for women and maybe men in general are less talkative about medical problems. It made me feel really lonely.
"Maybe men might find it embarrassing to talk about breast cancer and put off this sort of thing. I think we need to get men talking about it, checking for signs and doing something about any worries they have. I get it – I didn't know you could get breast cancer as a man either. If as a man you find a cyst on your chest get it checked. It could be something else – you never know."
Five years on Jim has been given the all-clear and is now on medication for 10 years. He'll be taking part in The Show by Breast Cancer Now charity this April where 24 models will be using fashion to celebrate who they have become and reflect their experience of breast cancer.
Ahead of the event Jim said: "One of my friends took part in The Show by Breast Cancer Now last year. She had a wonderful experience so suggested I apply for 2023. In my heart of hearts I thought there was no way I'd be picked but I'm over the moon to be one of the 24 models selected.
"I hope that by being part of The Show I can show that men can get breast cancer. I want to raise awareness and encourage men to check their bodies and be open to reaching out for support. I’m just hoping that I can walk and won't fall over. I won’t be able to walk quickly but I’m excited and curious to find out what they are going to dress me up in."
