Now that he’s cancer free, Warren resident Ken MacMillan participates in studies as an older adult who has survived the disease for an extended time.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

On Tuesdays in October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, local survivors are sharing their breast cancer journeys to inspire hope for those just diagnosed and to encourage routine preventative care, which greatly increases the odds of a positive outcome.

WARREN — Recognizing that he had an inverted nipple in the fall of 2002 was all it took for Ken MacMillan of Howland to begin his cancer journey.

Along the way, the 86-year-old beat the disease four times over a 22-year span.

As the 1956 Warren G. Harding High School graduate explained, “My wife went to the doctor because she was having trouble. When she came home, she said the doctor said she was okay. She said she had an inverted nipple. I said, ‘I got that.’ She got ahold of the doctor and her doctor wants me in the office right now.”

Lumps were found inside his left breast which led to a referral to Dr. Patrick Patchen Jr., a general surgeon in Warren.

“What he was finding by feeling, he was pretty sure that I probably had cancer,” MacMillan said.

A biopsy confirmed this.

“I never heard of a man having it. I never thought about it or what to look for,” MacMillan said.

A fellow member at Emmanuel Lutheran church also battled the disease as well as the stigma of having cancer in that part of the body.

“After he found out I had breast cancer, he said, ‘I had that several years ago, but I don’t talk about it.’ He was embarrassed,” he said.

That attitude angered MacMillan. “We get lung cancer. Does that mean that it’s a woman’s disease or a man’s disease? Cancer is cancer. How many men die of cancer that could have been diagnosed early like the women are?”

While he emphasized that the spotlight should not be taken off women and what they go through due to breast cancer, MacMillan suggested that the American Cancer Society should include a blue stripe on the pink ribbons to put a focus on how men can get breast cancer as well.

According to the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen, the lifetime risk of breast cancer is much lower for U.S. men than for women — approximately 1 in 1,000 versus 1 in 8.

Still, that’s little consolation if you are among the estimated 2,800 men with a new case of the disease or included in more than 500 breast cancer deaths in 2024.

Although survival rates for men are nearly the same as for women with the same stage of breast cancer at the time of detection, men are often diagnosed at a later stage than women due to being less likely than women to report signs and symptoms.

Warning signs of breast cancer in men can include:

•   Lump or thickening in the breast, chest or underarm area.

•   Change in the size or shape of the breast.

•   Dimpling, puckering or redness of the skin of the breast.

•   Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple.

•   Inverted nipple or other areas of the breast.

•   Nipple discharge.

Rather than wallow in depression at his sudden and shocking diagnosis, MacMillan, his wife, Felicia, and son, Scott of Niles sprung into action.

Finding that a month would pass before a surgical appointment at The Cleveland Clinic could be scheduled, Scott checked with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo. The cancer research and treatment center slotted the elder MacMillan in a few days.

A complete mastectomy of his left breast took place a week later.

“They took out 33 lymph nodes and 27 of them were infected,” he said. “So, it had started going to stage three,” he said.

Due to the disease entering his bloodstream, MacMillan needed 16 sessions of chemotherapy every three weeks, and then radiation.

With winter approaching, he was given the option of continuing treatment at The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, which is part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. It is one of the National Cancer Institute’s Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

The rarity of his situation resulted in uncomfortable moments.

“Every time I went to the hospital, I was in a waiting room with women, and I was treated like an enigma. ‘Why is he in here?’ They didn’t say it, but nobody was happy to see me there.”

His lengthy 12-hour schedule at OSU started at 7 a.m. for blood drawing. “The lab analyzes your blood and that’s when they decide what formula to give you.”

He recalled that the nurses “were fully suited up because they didn’t want to spill anything on them because, evidently, it damages their skin,” and added, “Of course, my wife was with me all the time. She never left me.”

Warned that side effects wouldn’t arrive immediately, MacMillan traveled home from Columbus after each session and then felt sick several days later. Frequently, insomnia caused him to go without sleep for the next 48 hours.

When the chemo was completed, 29 doses of radiation were next. He described how a shield was made to protect his body and only exposed the area that had the cancer.

“By the time the week was done, you’re burned … bad. They gave me cream to use until the next week. And I go through five more. I did that for six weeks in a row.”

He added, “It’s just like being burned down to the point that your skin is virtually not even hardly there.”

Following his breast cancer fight, MacMillan received three more cancer diagnoses — thryroid, skin and bladder.

Due to the schedule of treatments and dealing with their effects, MacMillan ended his working relationship as an integration engineer at James Tanery and Associates, the company that helped launch the GM Aztek and Rendezvous. Previously, he worked 31 years at GM Lordstown.

As of this writing, he is cancer-free but receives treatment for incurable lymphedema. It focuses on reducing the swelling of his arm, which remains vulnerable due to numerous lymph nodes that were taken out.

He volunteered for a study program at OSU during his cancer battle and continues to be studied as an older adult who survived the disease for a long period. Through that, he takes part in weekly Zoom meetings with a dietician and a therapist, and regularly exercises at the Niles Wellness Center.

Now retired, and with Felicia passing away two years ago, MacMillan spends much of his time doing volunteer work at Emmanuel Lutheran Church and other local organizations. He’s also treasurer of the Youngstown Area Weavers Guild.