Advocate, Decision Portrait Series

(Above: Advocate, Decision Portrait Series. Stitched words: Letting Other Men Know They Aren't Alone; Breast Cancer Survivor. Hand embroidery and beading on tea-stained muslin. Unframed: 25" x 19"; Framed: 31" x 25". Click on image to enlarge.)

Thurston Murray is a man on a mission. I met him and his lovely wife last fall. It was October, National Breast Cancer Awareness month. She was wearing a blue ribbon. I asked what it meant. He explained....with gusto! ....and facts, figures, statistics, and especially compassion for other men facing breast cancer.

Thurston is a breast cancer survivor for over twenty-five years. He does everything he can to spread awareness of male breast cancer, writing letters and published articles, posting on Internet message boards, and speaking to various groups. Because many men facing this disease are embarrassed by any mention of "their breasts", Thurston speaks out. He says, "If I can help one man be telling my story, I'm willing to do that. Men need to know they can get breast cancer.


(Above: Advocate, detail. Click on image to enlarge.)

Breast cancer is one hundred times more common in women than men. Over two thousand cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in men each year. Thurston Murray's agreement to pose for the Decision Portrait Series is yet one more way he is advocating for male breast cancer awareness. To learn more about Thurston and breast cancer among men, please visit his page on the American Cancer Society.