Breast cancer can affect anyone, at any age, and at any stage of life. Often considered a ‘women’s disease’, breast cancer also affects around 1 per cent of Australian males.
Breast cancer survivor, Trevor Roberts, shares his story to raise awareness.
For Trevor Roberts, a highly respected and well-known Sensei who travels the world teaching karate, receiving a breast cancer diagnosis following the discovery of a strange lump under his nipple came as a huge shock.
Trevor is a Sensei with more than 50 years’ experience, competing and coaching karate at some of the highest levels of the sport. He is sharing his story in the hope that other men will understand that breast cancer is a disease that can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, fitness level, or lifestyle. He is keen to encourage all men to check themselves regularly, and hopes that by speaking out, he can help remove some of the stigma men face after a breast cancer diagnosis.
In November 2023, Trevor visited his doctor to check a lump under his nipple that had been there for about six months.
“I walked in there and the doctor straight away said I’d better get a scan,” Trevor said.
The scan showed that the lump was an invasive carcinoma. Trevor then underwent medical tests including dye injections, a PET scan, and a mammogram.
While regular mammograms and breast screens are not recommended for men due to the relatively rare incidence of male breast cancer, Trevor is urging everyone, male and female, to remain vigilant and get any lumps or symptoms checked by a doctor straight away.
Trevor credits his son and daughter with being incredibly supportive during his breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments.
“My daughter has been an absolute tower of strength. When you’re there and the doctor’s talking to you, you walk out and think, ‘What did he say?’ because you’re in shock. I’m lucky that my daughter took everything in for me.”
Following surgery at Ipswich Hosptial to remove the tumor, Trevor decided to go ahead with an overseas trip that he’d planned but was forced to rush home to Australia just a few days later when his wound became severely infected.
“I’m not sure what happened, but after four or five days, it (the wound site) just felt really heavy and was hurting badly. I called my daughter and said ‘I need to come home. I’m dying’.
“My temperature blew out to 112 (44 degrees Celsius) so I flew back to Australia and went straight into emergency at Ipswich Hospital.”
Once the infection was under control, Trevor then had a further operation to remove a lymph node, followed by months of chemotherapy and radiation.
Trevor said the moment his oncologist told him he was cancer free was an incredibly emotional and joyful one.
“She said, ‘You’re cancer free now,’ and I just fell to the floor. My knees went and I had tears rolling down, and the two nurses were crying as well. I was trying to hold it together, and I couldn’t. It was just unbelievable.”
Trevor said another incredibly emotional and moving experience was taking part in a walk for breast cancer with his family and clubmates, along with 22,000 other participants.
While he is still regaining his health, it hasn’t stopped him getting back into fighting shape and running his full-time karate business, Shotokan Karate Budokai.
“I have had some guys come up to me and say, ‘Are you a bit embarrassed about having breast cancer?’ And I say, ‘No. It just so happened that I had too much estrogen in my body’.
“I’ve stood in front of all the classes here and said, ‘Guys, check yourself, ladies as well’, and I’ve had a couple of ladies and young girls tell me they’ve found a lump, and they’ve gone and checked it out.
“All the guys in the club – they all check themselves now.”
As well as being a strong and influential advocate for men’s breast health, Trevor is also fundraising this October with the sale of limited-edition pink karate belts, with proceeds going to fund breast cancer research.
Find out how you can Go Pink this October
