COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Male breast cancer cases make up about 1 percent of all incidents of breast cancer. This equates to roughly 2,600 new cases per year. Men have a 1 in 1,000 chance of being diagnosed in their lifetime.

One central Ohio missionary was courageous enough to share his story of survival in the midst of serving others.

Breast cancer survivor Philip Hartung says, “I had a lump and my nipple had actually inverted.”

Fate brought Hartung and his wife Melissa to central Ohio. The Utah couple is serving a senior mission for their church.  They work alongside a retired doctor who immediately knew what he saw and felt two month’s into Hartung’s mission.

Retired doctor Bart Brower explains, “The asymmetry of the breast. He takes his shirt off and all of a sudden one nipple is inverted. The other one is normal. Then, when I examined the area around the inverted nipple, there was an obvious mass there.”

Hartung was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.

“It’s not the best news to ever hear, obviously,” he said. “When someone says you have cancer, okay. You go forward.”

He underwent a double mastectomy and face multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.  Melissa Hartung was her husband’s biggest cheerleader adding, “You cut it out, you poison it out, you fry it out. Get it gone. Do whatever you can.”

With some loving encouragement from his wife, Philip continues serving his church and this community. He approaches his fight one day at a time. He is currently cancer free and his prognosis is good.  He says he wants to encourage others to rely on their faith and maintain a positive attitude,

“You are not alone. I think sometimes people really take it upon themselves to go “my life is over.” It’s over as far as what? You can still be an influence for good.”

Dr. Brower used to tell patients they know their bodies better than anyone. If men notice changes or feel a lump, they should consult a doctor.What others are clicking on: