Daddy’s ‘rugby injury’ turned out to be breast cancer 30 years later

A dumbfounded dad recounted how he found out he had breast cancer – after worsening an old sports injury from 30 years ago.

Angus McKay credits his wife for saving his life when she urged him to have the lump in his chest examined.

The former rugby player, 50, noticed a bulge on his left chest as a teenager, but speculated it had to do with playing contact sports.

But last year, while working offshore in Norway as a drilling supervisor, he woke up in the night with a burning sensation and noticed that the mass had grown bigger.

He said the daily record: “I told my wife about it because her mother had had two cycles of breast cancer and she said ‘well, let’s get checked out’.

“I absolutely give him credit for saving my life. I was about to say or not tell him anything and let it go. “

The father went to his GP last November and had a mammogram.

He then had biopsies before doctors told him he has “estrogen-sensitive cancer.”

Angus said: “I vaguely knew that men could get breast cancer, but I just thought it was so rare that it was unlikely that it was really me.

“When I told a few of my friends that they were like ‘but are you a guy? “

“They believed me right away, but they were shocked to realize that men could get it. I think a lot of my friends didn’t know that men can get breast cancer.

“This is something men can and do get, as I found out, so don’t ignore those bumps and bumps as it could save your life getting it checked out.

“Rather have it checked out and find out that there is nothing to fear than thinking ‘oh, that’s nothing’ and finding out too late that it was something to be worried about.”

He had a complete left mastectomy to remove the 24mm mass and luckily did not need radiation or chemotherapy.

The dad of two now has to have annual check-ups and has to take tamoxifen for five years.

It is a common myth that breast cancer is an exclusively female disease – men can get it too and it is more common than you might think.

These are the main warning signs of breast cancer at men’s :

1. A lump near the nipple

2. Oozing from the nipple

3. Nipple inverted or retracted

4. Bumps under the arm

5. A rash around the nipple

6. Ulcers on the chest

How to Perform a Male Breast Self Examination:

Her breast cancer, a male breast cancer awareness organization, explains how men can perform a breast self-exam.

First, stand shirtless in front of a mirror, placing your arms on your hips.

Look closely at your breast area, note any changes in your nipples, such as swelling or inversion.

Then raise your arms above your head and inspect the areas around your chest and armpits.

The next step is to feel your chest for potential bumps, which can be done by moving your fingertips in a circular motion around the chest area.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.