Melanin & Pink Ribbons

To love and be loved is one of the greatest joys in life. To love and be loved by a Black man is divine! The love I am speaking of is love you have for a Husband, Dad, Brother, Cousin, Godfather, Godbrother, Best Friend, Boyfriend or any Black man who matters to you. Like us, Black men suffer from inadequate health care, low income, and poor access to quality healthcare but for many men, it goes much farther. I am told and have observed Black men are not socialized to take of their bodies, many have a “Superman” complex that sickness will pass them by, and others know of the horrors of medical malfeasance like The Tuskegee Experiment.  Many don’t willingly go for preventative care and therefore early detection is solely left up to them as individuals. My intent is to give the woman in their life some knowledge so you can gently interject it when and where you can. Knowledge is power and hopefully, this post will aid you in helping your Black man and keeping him healthy.

Many know of the celebrity Richard Roundtree whose most famous movie role was that of John Shaft in the Shaft movies series of the 1970s. Some may know Mathew Knowles father of superstars Beyonce and Solange who went public in 2020 with his bout of breast cancer. Both men have bravely shared their stories with the public with the intent of increasing awareness.  According to verywellhealth.com which published an article on 8/30/2021, Dr. Shamard Charles, MD, MPH noted nationwide that 2% of all cancers are breast cancer in men. Of that 2% of our Black men, 18-64 years old are disproportionately dying from breast cancer than their White counterparts!  The statistic is that 76% more likely to die from breast cancer! Besides the fact that sounds familiar, that is the same scenario we Black women find ourselves in with White women, it is appalling our Black men are dying like this!

Let’s get to they why this is occurring in our community. It can be due to

1. Lack of insurance
2. Low income
3. Medical mistrust
4. Chronic stress
5. Biased medical providers

It’s important to know the signs of breast cancer in Black men. They include

1. Lump in the breast
2. Swelling in the breast
3. Swollen glands
4. Red or bloody nipple
5. Hard breast tissue
6. Red breast tissue

The treatment is like options available to us as Black women which are chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy according to the verywellhealth.com article.

I hope the takeaways from this post are an awareness of the signs of breast cancer in Black men and the reasons they don’t seek care so you may be a resource for them. Let’s keep our Black men healthy and our community strong! Remember early detection saves lives!

This post is dedicated to my husband Daryl who walked along side me on my breast cancer journey and carried me when I was weak! I salute you !