NJ Man, Family ‘Shocked’ After His Breast Cancer Diagnosis

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Essex County resident has gained a new perspective on life after being diagnosed with a rare case of male breast cancer.

After learning of his diagnosis — which affects an estimated 1 in 833 men in the U.S. — there were several things that echoed through Louis Graham’s mind in December 2020.

“My first thought was, ‘How long do I have to live?’” the 68-year-old West Orange resident recently told Patch.

That worry was followed immediately by a rush of others, Graham said: Will I have the time to say goodbye to everyone? Have I been living a good life? Am I worthy of saving?

“Everyone that I told was pretty much in shock,” Graham recalled. “But my oldest daughter told me that if anyone can survive breast cancer, it would be her dad.”

His daughter proved to be right: Graham is now cancer-free. And now, he’s hoping that by sharing his story, other men will get medical care if they feel a lump in their breast — just as he did.

According to Graham, he first noticed that his right breast was enlarged about eight years ago. When he went for an X-ray, it came back clear. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

When Graham brought up his concerns again last year, his primary care doctor referred him to a specialist, Maria Kowzun, a breast surgical oncology specialist at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville.

It was the first of many important decisions the former RWJBarnabas Health employee and cyber security expert would make over the next year.

His first step was to study every bit of information about male breast cancer he could find — especially their chances of survival. After a series of tests, including another X-ray, a biopsy and an MRI, a diagnosis of breast cancer was confirmed in both his left and right breast. Graham underwent surgery in February 2021 to have the cancer removed when further testing revealed it also spread to his lymph nodes.

Graham has since turned a corner and is taking medication to prevent the cancer from recurring. Embracing his passion for exercise and sports, he’s looking forward to getting back in the gym once he heals from his surgery and working with the Montclair High School girls’ varsity softball team again this spring. In August, he traveled to Belize and fell in love with the area — so much so that he’s considering buying a house so he can split his time between Belize and New Jersey.

But Graham says his experience with cancer has changed him forever.

“Most of all, [I’ve learned] not to take life for granted and that life is no dress rehearsal,” he said. “That there's a lot of power in prayer, and that if you're living right, life will continue to bless you on purpose.”

Having an awesome medical team on his side that “truly cared about my well-being” didn’t hurt either, he added.

MALE BREAST CANCER: THE STATS

According to Kowzun, who also works with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, male breast cancer accounts for less than 1 percent of breast cancer diagnoses worldwide.

About 1 in 8 women face the risk of breast cancer. However, when compared to women, men have a higher overall mortality rate and tend to be diagnosed at more advanced stages, partly because of a lack of awareness and the absence of annual screening mammograms.

About 15 to 20 percent of men with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer, compared with only 7 percent of the general male population. Similar to women, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations give rise to a majority of known cases of hereditary breast cancer in men, with a greater risk with BRCA2 (6 percent lifetime risk) rather than BRCA1.

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