6abc's Beating the odds against breast cancer: Breast cancer impacts men, too

Rick Williams Image
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Breast cancer impacts men, too
Breast cancer impacts men, too: Rick Williams reports on Action News at 4 p.m., October 24, 2018

Breast cancer is often considered a women's disease but it touches the lives of so many men in so many ways.

Rob Davis, a vice-president of Jefferson Health New Jersey, is embracing the call to awareness and says he is all about pink this month.

Davis is taking part in Real Men Wear Pink, the American Cancer Society's campaign to raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer.

"I've added this pink jacket you see here, I've added some ties, some cufflinks," said Davis. "I was thinking about some pink shoes, but decided to pass on that."

"I work with our patients within our cancer program every day, and I come from a family touched by cancer," he said.

The "work family" at KDI office technology in Delaware County knows the pain of breast cancer all too well.

Tom Germanovich, the brother-in-law of KDI's co-founders, died from it.

Tom had just retired, planning to spend years playing golf, when cancer first showed.

"They thought it was some kind of kidney cancer," said Tom's wife Patti, who also works at KDI as a customer service rep.

A year later, when Tom developed a lump in his breast, doctors realized what it was.

And they discovered that not only did Tom have the BRCA gene, so do 3 of his 5 children, including 2 sons.

Now, KDI is fighting for Tom's family and others: a golf outing raised $86,000, weekly bake sales in the company lunchroom raise more.

And a company team is taking part in Sunday's Making Strides walk.

"We need awareness of male breast cancer, people need to know for their children," said Patti. "The ultimate goal is to find a cure."

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