This high school baseball coach is raising awareness about male breast cancer
By Stephanie Stahl
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PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — October marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a disease that strikes mainly women, but doctors say people need to understand it can also happen to men.
Juan Namnun, the baseball coach at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, is also a breast cancer patient.
“Shock, it’s hard to put in words when you hear, ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, there’s no easy way, you have cancer,'” he said. “I knew very little about it; it never crossed my mind.”
The 47-year-old Delran, New Jersey, father of three ended up having a double mastectomy.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do emotionally and physically,” he said.
Namnun said months of physical therapy were torture as simple activities were painful.
“Open refrigerator doors, I couldn’t because they took so much muscle mass out, steering wheel, holding umbrella, things of that nature, so life has been a huge challenge, but I’m on my way back,” Namnun said.
Namnun is in a rare group of about 2,800 men who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, just 1% of all cases.
“I think most men are relatively unaware that they can get breast cancer,” Dr. Lori Timmerman, of Virtua Health, said.
Timmerman, a breast cancer surgeon, said men like Namnun need to check themselves because there are no screening guidelines.
“So, usually it’s a change to your breast tissue, either thickening of the nipple, a nodule in your breast tissue or in your chest area, and it’s something that’s there and then doesn’t go away,” Timmerman said.
Namnun is now taking chemotherapy drugs and is relieved to be back at the ballpark.
Namnun is also working on raising awareness about male breast cancer with a special baseball event to help crush cancer.
Namnun and his wife, Lena, are the founders of the Philadelphia Public League Coaches vs. Cancer Baseball Fest.
It’s a one-day event to help “crush” cancer.
The event attracts about 200 people annually and has raised $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, Juan Namnun invited Timmerman to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the tournament.
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