Indiana mom gives seed money to help fund men’s breast cancer research
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indiana mom who lost her son to breast cancer is on a new mission to help others get ahead of the disease.
Pat Buntrock is a retired nurse. Her son, Matt Bowman, was a nurse and first responder for nearly 30 years. He died last year at age 49.
“He was a wonderful person, and he was a wonderful son who got breast cancer,” Buntrock said.
She says Matt was at an annual checkup when he noticed his nipple was inverted.
“He said, ‘Mom, I don’t even know how long I have had it. I didn’t pay that much attention,’” Buntrock said as she reflected on a previous conversation.
Instead of blowing it off, he trusted his instincts to learn more information about his health. Buntrock says he pushed his primary care doctor to do a mammogram. That led to a biopsy and a devastating diagnosis of breast cancer.
“Matt didn’t give up hope. There are treatments out there,” Buntrock said.
After a mastectomy, four months of chemotherapy, and seven weeks of radiation, Matt was on the road to recovery. But, until last year, the cancer returned and spread to his lungs. Matt died three months later at 49 years old.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in 833 men will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. It’s even higher for women, with a one in eight chance.
“The problem is, for men, the treatments are treatments that women get,” Buntrock said. “I want men to get a fair shot.”
Buntrock donated $100,000 to male breast cancer research at the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center, the largest biobank in the world that collects healthy tissue for breast cancer research. For the first time next month, they’ll collect male breast tissue.
“We had to jump through many hoops and ensure our safety precautions were in place before we were allowed to collect from men, but men do get breast cancer. So yes, it is rare, but that doesn’t mean that it should be studied,” Kathi Ridley-Merriweather, the Community Outreach Program Manager, said.
For far, a few men have already signed up, but there is a need for people of color, particularly black men.
“It is very important because of the differences in the development of breast cancer and the treatment of breast cancer based on people of different races and ethnicities,” Ridley-Merriweather said.
In addition to gathering background information on patients, the tissue collection process is modified for men.
“They will be using different tools because men have less breast tissue. You have to be cognoscente when you’re doing that,” Dr. Carla Fisher, IU Health said.
Something Buntrock is on board with the tissue bank but she says men need to have a conversation with their doctor to decide on appropriate treatment when something is abnormal.
“If we can get them to be aware and their doctors to be more vigilant in checking them out every year, we can hopefully catch them sooner, and they won’t be in such a dire strait by the time they get diagnosed,” Buntrock said.
The tissue collection event is Saturday, Nov. 12th. Komen Tissue Bank is looking for volunteers and donors from all backgrounds. As for Buntrock, she hopes to keep spreading the word about male breast cancer. She also developed the Matthew Bowman Nursing Scholarship at Vincennes University.