Oftentimes when people think about
breast cancer, they usually associate it with women. The vast
majority of diagnosed breast cancer cases are in women. The disease
is also often represented by the color pink, a color that is
typically associated with femininity. While it does largely affect
women, it can also affect men as well. Bruce Johnston, a former
Logan County farmer, was one of these men who was affected by this
disease. He fought the disease for many years, and for much longer
than many thought he would be able to. While Bruce has passed on,
his daughter, Brandi Marvel/Patterson, was willing to share her
father’s story with LDN. This is his story:
Bruce, as previously stated, was a farmer. He loved to fish, and
according to his daughter, would fish “any time he could.” He was
also big into CB radios, being known by the handle ‘bass master.’
Bruce was a very hard worker and spent a lot of time working the
family farm.
One day, while playing with his Corgi, the dog pounced on his chest.
The area became very sore and bruised, and Bruce’s wife encouraged
him to go see a doctor. The breast cancer diagnosis did not take
long, and on February 4th, 2016, Bruce and his family were made
aware of the diagnosis.
Brandi shared that Bruce handled the news better than the rest and
described him as a “pretty tough bird.” Bruce didn’t take time to
get caught up in what had happened, he simply wanted to know what
needed to happen next. He wanted to know what he needed to do to
fight this cancer.
As for Bruce’s family, Brandi stated that they were all shocked.
Since male breast cancer is so rarely diagnosed, the family was not
expecting a bruised chest to end up being The Big C. Bruce allowed
Brandi to be power of attorney over his healthcare, as he did not
want his wife to have to make any tough calls. From what Brandi
shared, Bruce just wanted his wife to be able to love him through
it.
This led Bruce to a multitude of
treatments, none of which he fought receiving. His breast cancer was
diagnosed at stage four, and it was discovered that he had stage 4
lung cancer as well. He started with chemotherapy, then had a
mastectomy. Then followed radiation, which was followed by more
chemo, as well as immunotherapy. Doctors gave Bruce just one year to
live, but he managed to live another seven years.
Brandi shared that, during this time, even though Bruce was going
through so many treatments, he did not allow the cancer to define
him. He wanted to live his life the best he could. As a farmer,
Bruce was always working, and Brandi shared that when she and her
siblings were growing up, they rarely took vacations. Due to the
nature of running a farm, vacations can be a difficult thing to find
time for. After his diagnosis, however, Bruce started taking family
vacations as often as he could.
He did maintain his duties as a farmer, though. Brandi shared that
he would sometimes get out of his tractor during harvest season, get
sick as a result of the many treatments he was receiving, and then
get right back to work. He was a man who was not going to let cancer
define his life. Brandi shared that this was even true in the down
time. When the family would talk, it often wasn’t about his cancer.
Rather, it would simply be about other things going on in their
lives.
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For as tough a fighter as Bruce was,
he did not live forever. About seven years after his initial
diagnosis, his time to be at peace from his fight would come. The
cancer had spread to his brain, and he had several craniotomies. The
treatments were no longer working, and according to Brandi, his
heart and body were tired.
Brandi shared some of the things that
she learned through her time helping her father fight cancer. First,
she said to not be afraid to get a second or even third opinion when
a cancer diagnosis comes. Many people get so scared at the initial
diagnosis, but don’t hesitate to talk to more doctors. In the same
line of thought, seek out several doctors to see what the treatment
options are. Brandi said that there are so many treatment options
out there that it is unlikely a doctor is going to know them all.
Next, Brandi encouraged everyone to become an expert. “Medicine is a
practice,” she said. It takes everyone involved to fight cancer, and
a doctor is not always going to know the best treatment the first
time they suggest something. She also said that, if someone is in
the same situation she was in, they are going to know their person
better than anyone else. In Brandi’s situation, she or her mother
would pick up on subtle changes in their father when the cancer had
metastasized. If someone is the one battling the cancer themselves,
be aware of your body and any of its aches and pains. Brandi said
that these aches and pains mean something, so don’t overlook them.
Brandi also stated that living in the moment and appreciating it is
important. It is so easy to let a cancer diagnosis take over your
life. In those cases, people can lose the ability to appreciate the
little things in life that make it worth living. Bruce refused to
let cancer take over his life, hence his choice to start travelling
significantly more after the diagnosis.
An organization that Brandi swears by is the United Breast Cancer
Foundation. She stated that this organization gives scholarships, in
addition to aiding with the cost of battling breast cancer. She also
wanted people to know not to let insurance stop you from getting the
treatments you want. She said that you get up to three denials, and
that getting your doctor involved can help you get the insurance
company to change their mind if they initially say no to a
treatment.
Brandi is a big supporter of people getting checked for breast
cancer, men or women. “October tends to be the month of women, but
it needs to be the month of men too,” she said. She also said that,
if you ever find yourself walking that path, that there are a lot of
other people who have walked that same path. There is a lot of
knowledge, wisdom, and understanding from what other people have
gone through, and so there is no reason to walk that path without
someone helping to shed some light for you.
[Matt Boutcher]
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