Girl on the River
Napoleon Griffin on male breast cancer, diversity in rowing and the joy of sculling
Oct 20, 2021
Season 3
Episode 3
Patricia Carswell
S3, Ep 3. As many of you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, and had a mastectomy, chemo and immunotherapy, and since then I've been on a bit of a mission to inform people about things they might need to know about the condition. Which is why I was so thrilled when Napoleon Griffin agreed to come on the show. As both a rower and a male breast cancer survivor, Napoleon and I had LOADS to talk about.
You can find Napoleon on Instagram here
We talked about:
- Coming to rowing later in life
- Background as a track and field athlete
- Discovering he had breast cancer
- The importance of getting any symptoms of male breast cancer checked
- The treatment and the mental battle
- Second run-in with cancer
- The financial implications of having cancer
- Finishing treatment - regenerating
- The resources available re male breast cancer
- The importance of self-examination for men as well as women
- Getting fit after cancer and the benefits of being fit in bouncing back (and outcomes)
- Learning to scull in Puerto Rico with sharks and manatees!
- Rowing vs running
- Making history as the first all black quad at US Masters
- Diversity in rowing
- World Masters 2022
- Plans for a breast cancer survivors' 2022
- How cancer changes your attitude to life
- Representing your country at international events
- Athletes Without Limits
Resources
Information about male breast cancer:
Athletes Without Limits - encouraging people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to get involved in sport.