I survived breast cancer

A chance meeting with a stranger on a beach in 2006 would change Luton Barnes’ life forever.

Barnes was enjoying a day at the beach with friends, when a curious passer-by alerted him to an anomaly on one breast.

“The person noticed that my left breast had an inverted nipple and told me it was a matter of concern,” Barnes told All Woman.

The now 71-year-old businessman subsequently did a breast self-examination and realised that there was a distinct difference between both breasts.

“I felt my left breast and it felt like the rim of a car tyre. Where the inversion was, appeared to be a hole, and around it was very hard,” he said.

This discovery led Barnes to the doctor who conducted a biopsy and confirmed that what he had was breast cancer.

One in 21 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime and it is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Jamaican women over 25. But though there is a lack of attention given to men who have breast cancer, it has the same prognosis as women, and likewise depends on the stage of the disease when it is detected. The problem with male breast cancer is that because it is often not looked for, and mammograms are not usually done on men, it most times presents itself as an invasive cancer rather than a pre-invasive cancer.

Barnes said after learning of his condition he had to remain strong, even though his doctor started to cry when the confirmation was made.

“The doctor who’s also my good friend, broke down, possibly because he knew of the potential danger and risk that breast cancer carries, but I could not be shaken,” Barnes told All Woman.

Now prepared to battle the disease, he said while he was not worried or shocked, his initial reaction was thinking about how quickly he could rid himself of the growth.

“I found out on a Wednesday and the operation was scheduled for the Saturday. However, it was pushed back to the Monday. At the time all I was thinking was how quickly can I get rid of this as I was not prepared to let it stay and worsen,” he said.

Continuing to exert his strength and resilience to the cancer, he said chemotherapy for him yielded results that left him surprised.

“They say some persons are built like Mercedes Benz and others like Lada. After chemo I never felt weak or anything of that nature. I was back to normal. It was as if I had gone on the road, stopped to do something and gone back to the normal operations of the day,” Barnes said.

Since then he is committed to taking care of his body.

“I researched about foods to eat and I cut back on certain meats and I make sure I take my vitamins, but from time to time I will still eat my pork and I operate as if nothing is really wrong; my lifestyle has not changed much.”

Barnes now dedicates his days to developing housing projects for his company, NF Barnes Construction and Equipment, and watching his grandchildren grow.

For him, it’s about enjoying the important moments of life without dwelling on the negative.

“Regardless of cancer we must die. Something else will kill you. Many of us are diagnosed with it and it goes into remission and when you get to my age, you may develop other complications independent of cancer. So you have to enjoy life. I now have grandchildren, some are young and some are at university. They are my focus, almost like a project for me — to see that they are comfortable and to guide them in the right direction as I did with their parents.”

He added: “I’m happy that I have lived to see the years appointed to man and I’m not worried about the cancer. I’m focused on enjoying life and what it has to offer.”

With a very supportive circle of friends who he’s had since his days at Ardenne High School, Barnes generates his energy to all things wholesome.

“I left Ardenne in 1961 and I still interact with my schoolmates every week. They stood by me through the period and were very supportive and kept calling to see if I was OK,” Barnes said.

He added that his immediate family kept their composure and relied on their spirituality to comfort themselves and remain strong for him.

“We are from a Christian home and my sisters prayed and prayed and we just held the faith and did what had to be done,” he said.

Barnes also commended the Jamaica Cancer Society for the work they have been doing with the little resources they have at their disposal.