Dennis and his wife, Elaine, at the 2024 Susan G. Komen 3-Day.
When Dennis S. was 42, he faced something no husband or father expected: a breast cancer diagnosis.
“I started noticing nipple discharge,” Dennis recalled. “That was in 1993, and it went on for almost two years before I did something about it. I was playing basketball a lot and when I’d take an elbow to the chest, they’d start to weep and wet my shirt.”
His doctors initially thought the symptoms Dennis was experiencing might have been a hormonal issue and referred him to an endocrinologist. But when that was ruled out, Dennis was examined by another physician who discovered a lump and ordered a mammogram and then a biopsy.
“At that time, my doctor was a young guy in his thirties. I was his first male breast cancer patient,” Dennis, now 74, said. “We were both shocked.”
Dennis underwent a mastectomy but was fortunate not to need chemotherapy or radiation. After surgery, Dennis chose to keep his diagnosis private.
“I didn’t even tell my closest friends,” he said. “And I never took my shirt off at the pool. I’d say it was because I had red hair and burned easily. I think part of it was, if a woman saw me, I didn’t want my scar to make her feel uncomfortable.”
Several years later Dennis’s wife, Elaine, connected with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. She was looking for a meaningful cause to support and signed up to walk in the Twin Cities. Dennis said he dropped her off at the 3-Day and picked her up when it was over.
“After the walk, she was so excited and effusive,” Dennis said. “She told me about her experience and about the route safety guys on their bikes and motorcycles. She said, ‘You’ve got to join.’”
An avid cyclist, Dennis was intrigued. He said he wasn’t sure how to get involved so he went out of his comfort zone.
“It was hard to break into that group because they had their usual team of people. So, I decided to play the ‘survivor card’ and told them I was a breast cancer survivor. Well, that worked,” Dennis chuckled. “And they said, ‘We’d love to have you!’”
That moment in 2012 was the start of Dennis’s connection to the 3-Day community. He still rides with the Route Safety team to help keep walkers safe, but this year he is taking time off to recover from two knee replacements. Dennis has found another way to support the 3-Day though. Since retiring, Dennis and Elaine spend the winters living in an RV resort in Arizona. Dennis offers free bike repairs to his neighbors and asks for donations to the 3-Day instead of payment.
“For a long time, I hardly told anyone of my history with breast cancer. It wasn’t like I was embarrassed, I just thought no one needed to know,” Dennis said. “Now I share it because other men need to know that they can get breast cancer, too.”
