When Paul Jennings noticed a small lump in his chest while recovering from a cold, breast cancer was the last thing on his mind.
The father-of-three, from Loxley in south Warwickshire, had previously been running and assumed the irritation around his nipple was nothing more than a rash.
Instead, tests revealed a pre-cancerous lump that led to him having a mastectomy.
Almost two years on, Jennings is sharing his story to encourage more men to check themselves and raise awareness about male breast cancer. “It’s something we all need to be aware of,” he said.
Research by male breast cancer charity Moobs found 67% of men were unaware they can develop breast cancer.
Jennings said: “I wouldn’t have thought a man could get a pre-cancerous lump.
“I’d been doing some running, and I’d got a cold, so I was lying in bed and noticed my nipple felt a bit strange.
“I thought maybe it was a rash from running, but when I had a feel around, I thought there was a lump there.”
After mentioning it to his wife, he booked an appointment with his GP after initially thinking he had a cyst.
Within two weeks, Jennings was seen by specialists at Warwick Hospital.
Doctors initially attempted to drain the lump but were unable to do so, so they decided to carry out a biopsy.
“I thought it was absolutely fine, and there were no problems,” he said.
“They said they’d give me a call in a couple of days, and I was waiting for the phone call that would say everything was clear.”
Instead, he received a call the day before Christmas Eve asking him to return to hospital the following day.