Bret Miller – Breast cancer survivor

<< Please drag the arrows to see before & after underwater transformation >>

My name is Bret Miller and I’m 38 years old. I was born and raised in Prairie Village, KS. I’m a director of Pool & Ice Rink Activities.

I was diagnosed at 24 years old, at the time of my diagnosis, I was one of the youngest men diagnosed in the world. I first found my lump when I was 17. I was told, “it was just a calcium build up, I was going through puberty, it’s nothing to worry about.” It was stage 1 DCIS, since they first took the lump out thinking it was nothing. Sent it to pathology and it came back as breast cancer and the size of the tumor put it at stage 1. I went through a mastectomy and 4 rounds of chemotherapy and I am currently 14 years breast cancer free.

What inspired you to be involved in the Underwater Transformation Project?

It was my surgeon that told me that if I was comfortable in sharing my journey that he believed I could put a face to male breast cancer. After with a plastic surgeon, hearing that I would be “test subject”, that he had never done reconstruction on a male before but he knows he could, I decided that I would forego the plastic surgery and keep my scar as it is now my story and proof that I overcame something that rarely happens…

After Erena reached out in 2020, I researched what she has been doing, the photos are amazing and the project she is doing is so inspirational. Once she asked me to do it I wanted to jump at the opportunity, but COVID and travel expenses kept us apart for 4 years.

What were your plans for the photo shoot?

I had no plans for the photo shoot. I like to be spontaneous sometimes and this is one that I definitely felt like being just whatever! I like to just go with the flow so we started to do some poses and other things just came to me…
Only goal would be to spread the knowledge that MEN HAVE BREASTS TOO! we can and do get breast cancer!

How was the experience with an underwater portrait session?

It was an amazing experience. Definitely had my struggles with holding my breath, staying at the bottom of the pool and keeping the salt water out of my nose. I also didn’t realize how white my farmer’s tan was until I saw the photos.

How was your mood after you finished?

I felt great. It’s always great to be in the water, it’s so refreshing. I was just excited and looking forward to seeing the end results!

What does WATER mean to you?

Well, for the past 23 years it has been my profession. Whether it is in the liquid state, pools, or the solid state, ice rink, I have always been around water. In my case it provides entertainment, but ultimately it is what keeps us alive and nourishes us.

Do you think this experience could help overcome your trauma?

I can overcome things pretty quickly. I feel the moment that I was on the news or in the newspaper doing interviews was the moment I overcame my trauma, which was about 1 week after diagnosis. Being able to share my story is what helps me overcome it. If I can just help one person, that helps me overcome it.

How did you sleep the night of the photo shoot? Compared to the usual days?

I was worn out! I slept like a baby!

How was Erena working with you?

Erena was amazing. So kind and caring she made sure I was always comfortable in the water and with my poses.

Would you recommend underwater transformation to other survivors or anyone?

Absolutely I would. Just need to find survivors that are comfortable with sharing their trauma, which is not always easy for most.

What’s your dream?

My dream is to live in a world where no one gets cancer because we have found a cure. But we know that will never happen as pharmaceuticals are a for profit business and they make too much money on cancer drugs.

Everyone’s journey and healing process is different. If you want to share your story, do it! You never know who it might help.
There are support groups for women everywhere, some are not inclusive to men, which is ok, but we have gone through the same thing and it does hurt sometimes to hear, “oh, sorry, we only help women with breast cancer.” There are only a few for men and that’s where we try to be there for the men every step of the way. We will support you, guide you, get you the answer’s you need, second/third/fourth opinions if needed, whatever it is except financial assistance. We are working on that, it is just taking more time than we expected. We have enough money to keep the website going and send care packages out to newly diagnosed men and their families to remind them, “You are not alone” like I felt when I was diagnosed at 24. Any donations are greatly appreciated!

malebreastcancerhappens.org and on Facebook.
#MenHaveBreastsToo
#TogetherWeWillChangeTheWorld

– Questions from a female breast cancer survivor –

How is male BC different from female BC?

the only difference between male and female BC is gender. Everything else feels the same, except the way men get treated at times. Treatments are very similar to women’s treatments because there aren’t enough men diagnosed or sharing that they are diagnosed to have larger numbers to have actual cancer trials just for men.

How is it different with the hormone element? With female it’s hormone positive, is it the same with men and what hormone is it? Testosterone?

For many men I believe that estrogen is still a leading factor of what causes breast cancer. The science part of BC always trips me up.

Is treatment different?

When I was diagnosed in 2010 I don’t feel treatment was different. I feel like I was told by my doctors that this treatment plan is what we would do for a woman if she had the same diagnosis as you because that is really all we have to go off of, women’s treatment. So I was just treated like a female, even got some mail addressed to Mrs. Bret Miller.

How does it feel to have it when usually BC is dominated and known as a woman oriented situation? It must be psychologically challenging in some ways.

At first it was embarrassing to be diagnosed with Breast Cancer, because I am a guy, you don’t immediately associate men with breasts. But after about a week of getting more answers from doctors is when I decided to make a change. I felt this is my story now, I have Breast Cancer, I’m not going to hide behind this disease. God gave me this disease because he felt that I was able to take control of this and make a change. I have been able to make a change, put a face to male breast cancer and help many other men feel comfortable to come out and say, “I have Breast Cancer”!