Breast Cancer: Michael's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Sex
- male
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy and radiation
Treatment course, step by step
- He underwent surgery for male breast cancer.
- He received chemotherapy.
- He also received radiation, with all 3 treatments occurring within 1 calendar year.
What happened, in summary
Michael Johnston was diagnosed with male breast cancer in 2009. His treatment included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, all within a single calendar year. After going through that intensive period of care, he made a personal commitment to increase awareness of male breast cancer. He also promised his wife, Paula, that they would travel wherever she wanted to go. The cancer experience changed how he thought about time and priorities. Rather than treating life as something that could be postponed, Michael focused on taking each day as it came, looking for positive moments, and making his time count. After treatment, he put much of that energy into survivorship, advocacy, travel, and the relationships that mattered most to him.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Dana-Farber. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer