Mike is a former teacher who now works for State Farm Insurance. He is married to a woman named Margaret, and they have four children. He is very active on behalf of those who have been affected by toxic water at the Marine base Camp LeJeune between 1957 and 1987.
Mike's Male Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Age at diagnosis: 39
Diagnosed: April 25, 2007
Type of breast cancer: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), estrogen receptor positive
Lymph node status: 1 removed, but it was clear of cancer
Tumor: 2.5 cm, Grade 3
Treatments:
- Mastectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy
- Chemotherapy -- Adriamycin, Cytoxan and Taxol, for 6 months
No family history, male or female, and no use of alcohol or tobacco. Unknown to Mike at diagnosis, his primary risk factor was that he and his mother were exposed to Tetrachloroethylene and other volatile organic compounds while his mother was pregnant with him at Camp LeJeune Marine Corps base during 1968. During that time, the base’s potable water system was contaminated. The contamination lasted until 1987 and has affected an estimated 800,000 to 1 million former Marines and their families.
Background and Discovery of Mike's Breast Lump
In April 2007, not long before their 18th wedding anniversary, Mike Partain's wife gave him a good-night hug. She felt a lump as her hand went across his chest. Mike thought it could be a cyst, but after two weeks, it didn't go away. Margaret insisted that he consult with his doctor. Dr. Perry did not like the lump located just over Mike’s right nipple and requested a mammogram or as Mike likes to call it, a Man-O-gram. On Friday, April 20th, Mike went in for a mammogram and was then held for an ultrasound. The radiologist did not like what she saw and advised Mike that he should have a biopsy of the area to see what was really going on. Mike's radiologist wrote in her report to the surgeon that the presence of prominent lymph nodes is especially concerning in cases of male breast cancer. The following Monday, Mike met with Dr. Snyder and was told that it could be breast cancer. A needle biopsy was performed and Dr. Snyder scheduled the follow up appointment two days later, on April 25, 2007. Mike and Margaret met with Dr. Snyder on the day of their 18th anniversary.
On that day, Mike was informed that he indeed had breast cancer and that it was serious. The doctor scheduled Mike for a right breast mastectomy on May 4, 2007.
Q: How did treatment go for you?
A: Chemo was rough for me. I have never done any type of drugs nor smoked in my life. I have always been leery of putting things in my body. I knew that I had to do it, but I hated the idea of chemo. It scared me. The first session was not too bad. The chemo veterans welcomed me into the room, made jokes about the “Red Devil” and tried to comfort me. It looked like Kool-Aid. They started the IV and then the drug. I could feel it move up my arm, across my face and eyes and into my right side. That really unnerved me. It took everything I had not to rip it out and go home. I just sat there feeling totally defeated. They gave me anti-nausea drugs so I did not get sick. My employer was gracious enough to adjust my work schedule so I could take treatments and continue to work. It was important to me to maintain a normal life and not just sit at home. After two or three days, I’d get to feeling somewhat better, enough to walk around and go to work. This would last two weeks. Then on the third week I would get geared up for the next treatment. I would get all anxious and the night before I could not sleep. I was terrified. However, once the treatment session was over, I focused on trying to feel better. Margaret said that for the first 3 days I was white as a sheet. I could see the fear in her eyes. It was hell on the both of us.
Q: Did you feel well-treated by health care professionals?
A: I hated my doctor. He was arrogant and to be honest, I felt as if he had a God Complex: He knew the answers and you had better follow his ordained advice. I attempted to do the treatments at a research hospital in Gainesville but they did not like the distance I’d have to travel. To tell you the truth, my chemo nurse made all the difference. She was a leukemia survivor and somehow it was a source of comfort for me to know that someone who had had it much rougher than me was looking out for me. I stayed with my oncologist for this reason and as soon as the chemo was over, I found another doctor. He is much better.
