by Dad was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer after losing his mother and step-mum to the same disease.
Geoff Sweeney, 52, a charity director from Derby, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2020 after discovering a lump near his left armpit but largely ignoring it.
His mother Anne died aged 48 in 1993 and his stepmother Lillian died aged 60 in 2005 – but despite a family history of breast cancer, Geoff never thought men could get the disease.
READ MORE: Zero-star hygiene restaurant owner says ‘four, maybe not five’
READ MORE: Ladies’ Day Grand National live – Aintree races, top pictures, tips, results and winners
He successfully underwent his initial treatment, including chemotherapy which made his hair “come out in clumps”. However, Geoff’s cancer returned and, in November 2023, he was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, meaning it is now incurable.
Geoff said: “I remember thinking, this is just the worst place to be. I came home and was texting the local hospice at night to say, ‘What do I do to get in? I don’t think so. I’ve got plenty of time left’.”
Geoff initially felt “absolutely lonely” and, although his prognosis is uncertain, he now wants to give himself “the best possible chance of the longest life possible”.
He plans to return to work later this month and, in his spare time, wants to enjoy the “simple things” and spend as much quality time with wife Lyndsey, 46, as possible. and his two children Freya, 17, and Sophie. , 14.
In addition, Geoff will soon be visiting The Show, at the research and support charity Breast Cancer Now, to raise more awareness of male breast cancer. He wants to encourage others, especially men, to “support themselves and their needs”.
Geoff said: “I’m going to die, but nobody can tell me when it hasn’t changed. My life hasn’t changed. Before cancer, I don’t know how long I’ll be in living with cancer. But I can make positive choices and decisions about how I’m going to lead my life while I’m still here.”
Speaking about the upcoming fashion show, he said: “Yes, breast cancer mainly affects women, but it’s important to have me and another man on The Show to show that anyone, including men, can , get breast cancer.
“So get yourself checked, and if you have any concerns, don’t be afraid to go to your doctor. You should never be too busy to put yourself first.”
According to Breast Cancer Now, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with around 55,000 women and 400 men diagnosed each year although breast cancer in men is very rare.
Geoff said he has memories of his mother Anne living with “biblical and brutal” breast cancer, and when she died in 1993, it was “hard” to process, especially as she was in her early 20s at the time. Her step-mum Lillian later died of breast cancer in 2005, which was a shock as the disease “took her so quickly”.
Geoff said he didn’t know men could get breast cancer as well and his lack of knowledge nearly prevented him from seeking medical advice when he discovered a 3cm lump near his left armpit in 2020.
He added: “I didn’t fall off the climbing wall and bruised my chest I was forced to check myself. There were bruises on my chest, and the bruises cleared except for this lump, but it wasn’t. painful, no it was noticeable, it was under the skin.”
“I didn’t even think, ‘Oh, men can get breast cancer’, because I didn’t know, so there was nothing telling me, ‘Go to the doctors’.”
In fact, Geoff only went to his doctor to discuss a mole on his back and it was during this appointment that he decided to mention the lump as well, prompting a referral to the breast unit at the Royal Derby Hospital.
Further investigations including an ultrasound and biopsy in September 2020 revealed that Geoff had stage three breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes, and that he was “very scared”.
He said: “I don’t know if it was by luck or by design … it was a real sliding doors moment. I think if I had waited those two months to see whether (the bump) had gone, it would have been. It was too late.”
Geoff underwent a single mastectomy in October 2020 to remove her left breast tissue and lymph nodes, as well as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, before being told she had no evidence of disease in early 2023.
However, in November 2023, after experiencing severe back pain that affected his ability to walk, sit and lie down, he underwent a CT scan which revealed the cancer had returned and spread to his spine and lungs .
Geoff said: “I thought I’d be lucky to get through the weekend when I had my secondary diagnosis, it felt so bleak.”
Secondary or metastatic breast cancer occurs when breast cancer cells spread from the breast to other parts of the body, and an estimated 61,000 people are living with secondary breast cancer in the UK, says Breast Cancer Now.
Although it cannot be cured, there are treatments that can help control some forms of the disease for a while and relieve symptoms to help people live well for as long as possible.
Now, five months later, Geoff is currently undergoing chemotherapy which is having a “positive effect”, and his latest scans have shown that the tumors have shrunk by 50% and he is feeling “stronger”. than before.
Although his secondary diagnosis was “really devastating and traumatic”, he said the support from charities such as Breast Cancer Now, as well as meeting other people with the disease through forums and meetings, helped him feel less “solitary”. But he hopes more can be done to include and support men with breast cancer.
By taking part in The Show, where 24 models will take to the catwalk who are living with or beyond breast cancer, he hopes he can raise more awareness of male breast cancer and inspire others to ” enjoy life”.
Geoff said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I hope I’ll be in a stable place. Life as long as I can for the time I have left from now on.
“I’m in the treatable camp now rather than curable, so it’s a terminal diagnosis, but I’m not accepting it as a death sentence yet. I just want to enjoy life and be reminded to enjoy the life.”
To watch The Show with Breast Cancer Now, which will take place on 25 April 2024 in London, visit: breastcancernow.org/theshowlondon.
Don’t miss the biggest and latest stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
