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Local man is a breast cancer survivor
Around their kitchen island, the Wrights of Vadnais Heights are assembling pink ribbons Tuesday to hand out at Race for the Cure. One of them has had breast cancer. But it's not the mother or daughter. It's the dad. Scott Wright says, "I had a mastectomy. I had the tumor removed, my left nipple... gone, tissue around where the tumor was... taken out." Yes, Scott Wright is a breast cancer survivor. This 49 year old father, lawyer and long distance runner knew something was wrong last August while on one of runs but he wrote it off as a runners injury. His nipple was sore so he thought it was something called runner's nipple. But over time a painful lump then formed under his nipple. It took three visits to doctors before he got a mammogram in December. His wife Pam Wright says, "I think had Scott been a woman, the 2nd time he went in he would have been treated very differently." Scott says yes it's possible for a man to have a mammogram. He says, "They shove flesh that you don't know that you have into those paddles." Scott's mother-in-law is a 46 year breast cancer survivor. And his family had suspected his lump could be male breast cancer. The youngest of his three daughters, Catherine Wright says, "I looked it up online to see if it was true." Still, when Scott says when got the diagnosis, "I was stunned. It was just like the floor had dropped out and you think you're prepared but you're not you're really not." He has handled it very well. After the mastectomy, he had chemotherapy which he just finished two weeks ago and now he has formed a team of about 50 people for Race for the Cure. It's called the Blue Team. Scott says, "Our mantra is to add a dash of blue to the pink ribbon." That's what they are doing at the kitchen island today, marking pink ribbons with a blue marker. Scott will hand them out at Race for the Cure to raise awareness so that other men don't rule themselves out when it comes to breast cancer. He says, "Although we'd like to deny it, and we feel uncomfortable saying it, we men have breasts and I lost my left one." Wright's cancer is gone and doctors say his prognosis is good. He says his chances of survival beyond 3, 5, 7 and even 10 years are great. Wright will have a booth at the Race for the Cure this Sunday to raise awareness of male breast cancer. Be sure to also visit the KARE corner where you can have your picture taken with KARE personalities. Our tent is located in the north parking lot between Nordstrom and Sears. Click here for more information.
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