'I was playing around with my pal and he twisted my nipple - weeks later I was diagnosed with breast cancer'

'I was playing around with my pal and he twisted my nipple - weeks later I was diagnosed with breast cancer' Robert Pfleghardt, 62, joked his friend saved his life after they were out drinking, and one pal twisted his nipple that he later inspected after feeling in pain - only to find a lump A man discovered he had breast cancer after a friend twisted his nipple during a boys' holiday to Las Vegas. Robert Pfleghardt, 62, from Vienna, Virginia, was left in pain after the incident. About a week later, he was rubbing his chest when he found a lump. He was shocked when the lump turned out to be breast cancer which had spread to his lymph nodes. "Initially I laughed. You know, it's not funny, but a dude getting breast cancer," he said. After getting the lump removed, he had radiation to stop it from spreading further, and up until this year has taken medication to keep it under control. "I'm at the five-year point since diagnosis, so I'm going in for a full body scan on October 1," said Robert, a retired accountant who's working on two new businesses called VoraPrep - a platform to help accountants pass their exams - and LeaderReps - a leadership training company. "I want people to be aware. A lot more men get breast cancer than we realise." Robert said: "Me and my buddy joke about it now, you know, how we found it. But he saved my life." In 2021, Robert had been out drinking with pals in Las Vegas. "They are good friends of mine and we were being silly boys having drinks. "He'd probably say I started it, but my friend reached over to me and pinched my nipple. It really hurt." Robert ignored the pain, but over the next week he was still rubbing his chest where it hurt. That's when he found a lump. "It was the size of an eraser and it was right next to my nipple. It was kind of weird but I just blew it off. Guys don't get breast cancer, so I thought nothing of it. "But it was playing on my mind so I went to get it checked out. I go in, and a nurse practitioner takes a look. Immediately she says it's something we need to aggressively research. Then things moved really really quickly." Robert was told he needed a mammogram to find out whether the lump was cancerous or not. "It was really weird getting a mammogram, you kind of laugh. They called out for Mrs Pfleghardt instead of Mr Pfleghardt. "They said 'man coming through' because there were a lot of women, and some of them were getting scans with their tops off. The whole process was weird," he said. "After the mammogram a lady walked in with tears in her eyes. She said it was breast cancer and they were concerned it had spread to my lymph nodes. I laughed a little at first. I thought that’s kind off funny for a dude to have breast cancer. I probably weigh around 180, I’m not heavy, I don’t have man boobs or anything." But when the realisation sank in, Robert found out how grave the situation was - especially if it had spread. "I was like a deer in the headlights. I just went into zombie mode. "I didn't know what to do, but the nurses and doctors were so kind. They booked everything for me, all the scans, appointments everything." Over Christmas of 2021, Robert needed further tests to determine whether the cancer had spread. Robert said: "I decided not to tell my children, or my in laws, or family. It was just me and my wife who knew. It was Christmas time, I didn't want to ruin it." The tests confirmed the cancer had spread to one lymph node. Doctors recommended a double mastectomy and a removal of 19 lymph nodes. "It was happening so quickly, and I was scared, I had never had surgery. The concept of someone cutting into my chest was intimidating. So based on my nerves, I chose a lumpectomy instead. If I could go back now I'd probably have got the mastectomy." On January 21 2022, Robert had surgery. "I was extremely nervous and scared to be cut open. But within a day or two I was out and about doing stuff. I had a big dent in my armpit and a ball hanging off the side of me that was collecting all the juices. "They felt that the lumpectomy had really clear lines – it was just one mass - not like a spider web, which was a good sign. But they still recommended radiation. It was 29 days of radiation. "That was interesting. It literally looked like it cooked me. My chest where the radiation went it went from a normal colour to a crispy brown." Afterwards, Robert was put on Tamoxifen - a drug used to prevent breast cancer. "I was reading all the side effects and they said: 'may cause hot flashes', 'may impact menopause', 'may cause uncomfortable dryness'. "Obviously none of that stuff was relevant to me." Five years later, Robert is preparing for his next full-body scan. "I have my five-year scan on October 1. Then we'll know if the cancer has spread anymore and if I need to go back onto medication. But I’m actually really positive, of course I’m excited just to have answers and a path, but I’m 99 per cent sure everything will be as expected." Robert wants people to be more aware of the dangers of breast cancer in men. "I think a lot more men get breast cancer than they know and it spreads without them realising, and then they die from something else. Because people don't know they can get it. And then they don't know what to look for." "Me and my friends still laugh about how we found out I had cancer. My friend that pinched me saved my life. I wouldn't have found the lump otherwise and it would have spread. "Boys trips save lives."