{"id":28627,"date":"2023-02-07T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T10:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=25277"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:12:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:12:52","slug":"intensive-care-nurse-describes-his-experience-of-female-centred-care-after-breast-cancer-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/intensive-care-nurse-describes-his-experience-of-female-centred-care-after-breast-cancer-diagnosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Intensive care nurse describes his experience of female-centred care after breast cancer diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kizi,Kizi Kamasho<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-hero-300×168.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-hero.jpg”><\/p>

Kizi Kamasho<\/p><\/div>

<\/h4>\n

Every year around 55,500 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer.<\/p>\n

But as intensive care nurse Kizi Kamasho discovered, the disease also affects approximately 380 men. Kizi and his wife Emma share the challenges they faced when he was diagnosed with a cancer that predominantly affects the opposite sex: a whirlwind of change and female-centred care.<\/p>\n

From nurse to patient<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Kizi wearing full PPE at work during the pandemic<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-in-PPE-during-the-pandemic.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-in-PPE-during-the-pandemic.jpg” decoding=”async” class=” size-full wp-image-25280″ src=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-in-PPE-during-the-pandemic.jpg” alt=”Kizi at work as an intensive care nurse wearing PPE during the pandemic” width=”200″ height=”200″ srcset=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-in-PPE-during-the-pandemic.jpg 200w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-in-PPE-during-the-pandemic-150×150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-in-PPE-during-the-pandemic-96×96.jpg 96w” sizes=”(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px”><\/p>

Kizi wearing full PPE at work during the pandemic<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While Kizi, 52, was saving lives during the COVID pandemic, underneath the layers of PPE, a cancer was quietly developing that the father-of-one never realised could affect him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMale breast cancer? Does it even exist?\u201d said Emma as her husband of 25 years was diagnosed. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked with a lot of females who\u2019ve had it but not in my wildest dreams did I ever think my man would get breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Emma who first discovered the hard lump in Kizi\u2019s right breast as she patted his chest during a moment of laughter. Within two weeks they were thrust into a whirlwind of appointments and found themselves in a world of female-centred care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I arrived at the breast unit, the waiting room was full of women,\u201d remembered Kizi. \u201cI walked up to the reception area with my wife Emma and our son Tendai and the receptionist asked me to wait outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I was a woman, they automatically assumed I was the patient and I remember explaining, \u2018My husband is the patient, not me\u2019. Even the receptionist looked shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kizi recalled: \u201cIt was a surreal moment because everyone around me was a woman and even though they were probably all there for the same reason as me, I did get the feeling they were looking at me wondering \u2018what is that man doing here?\u2019<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI just pretended to be going through my phone hoping they would call me through quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elephant in the room<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
Kizi and Emma<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-and-Emma.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-and-Emma.jpg” decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” class=” size-full wp-image-25281″ src=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-and-Emma.jpg” alt=”Kizi with his wife Emma” width=”200″ height=”200″ srcset=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-and-Emma.jpg 200w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-and-Emma-150×150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kizi-and-Emma-96×96.jpg 96w” sizes=”(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px”><\/p>

Kizi and Emma<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kizi was eventually called to have an ultrasound, a biopsy and a fine needle aspiration of his lymph nodes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a sign that said \u2018no males beyond this point without a nurse\u2019,\u201d he remembers. \u201cIt made me take a second look because there I was \u2013 a male, a nurse and now a patient wondering if it was ok to go past that point?<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the procedure I was told the lump was suspicious and it then entered my mind that it could be breast cancer. When we got the results and the diagnosis was confirmed, it was all a blur but the fact that I was a man with primarily a female cancer was like the elephant in the room. Nobody mentioned the fact that it was unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the literature he received when he was diagnosed was aimed at women with one leaflet labelled \u2018Your guide to a well-fitting bra.\u2019,\u201d Emma added.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

I hear a lot about women needing to check their breasts, but now I know that men need to check themselves too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my dad to prostate cancer so I was vigilant when it came to checking things like my prostate and even requested a wellness-check, but it was never mentioned to me about checking myself for breast cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u201cKnowing how your breasts or chest normally look and feel can help you spot any changes that are unusual for you. Symptoms of breast cancer in men include a lump or swelling in the chest or underarm area, discharge from the nipple or a nipple that\u2019s pulled into the breast (\u2018inverted\u2019) and a rash around the nipple or a sore on the skin of the breast.<\/p>\n

If you notice any changes that aren\u2019t normal for you, even if they\u2019re not on this list, it\u2019s important to get them checked by your doctor. In most cases it won\u2019t be cancer, but if it is, finding it early can make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julia Cotterill, health information officer at Cancer Research UK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Hope from HER2<\/h2>\n

By the time Kizi was diagnosed, the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes, lungs and into the bones.<\/p>\n

But tests revealed the cancer showed high levels of a protein called HER2 receptor which meant his cancer could potentially be controlled by a targeted treatment called Herceptin<\/a>. Cancer Research UK made important contributions to the understanding of HER2\u2019s role in breast cancer<\/a>, helping to build the case for developing drugs to target it.<\/p>\n

Kizi became one of the 8,146 patients every year to be prescribed Herceptin which attaches itself to the HER2 protein and stops the cancerous cells growing and dividing. He\u2019s been receiving it alongside chemotherapy and last month scans showed there was no evidence of any new cancer forming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe treatment was like an oasis in a desert \u2013 a lifeline,\u201d Kizi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I want to use my second chance to support other men. We are terrible at getting things checked but I hope my story will encourage them to reach out and realise they too can be affected by breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elisa<\/em><\/p>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kizi wearing full PPE at work during the pandemic While Kizi, 52, was saving lives during the COVID pandemic, underneath the layers of PPE, a cancer was quietly developing that the father-of-one never realised could affect him. \u201cMale breast cancer? Does it even exist?\u201d said Emma as her husband of 25 years was diagnosed. \u201cWe\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28627"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43067,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28627\/revisions\/43067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}