GILMER COUNTY, Ga. — During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s important to remember that while it’s rare, men can be diagnosed with the disease, too.
Channel 2’s Wendy Corona spoke with a man who lives in Gilmer County who is encouraging everyone to pay attention to your body.
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“I thought it was just a big pimple on my chest and the seatbelt would rub against it and it would irritate it,” Jerry Allan said.
Tests and a doctor later confirmed to Allan that he had Stage 2 breast cancer.
“Of course the tears come rolling down after that and it was a pretty scary time,” he said.
It was 2008. Allan was 66 years old and also battling prostate cancer. The news rocked his daughter.
“I just thought this was a death sentence, right. I mean you’ve got two cancers,” Kerry Bernard said.
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The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 2,700 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026. The average age: between 60 and 70.
With no family history but his family by his side, Allan had a mastectomy and said he bounced back quickly. The experienced sparked his daughter to bring a mobile mammography to Ellijay.
“I don’t want people to lose their loved ones because they just didn’t go get checked,” she said.
Despite the rare occurrence, the family wants you to put your health first.
“It can be you. It was my dad,” Bernard said.
“It can happen to you. If you’re not paying attention, it can happen to you,” Allan said.
The family is working with the Georgia Association of Realtors to collect items for patients undergoing cancer treatments. You can click here to donate.
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