Mathew Knowles talks honestly about his battle with breast cancer

Mathew Knowles will have a good time Breast Cancer Awareness Month by sharing his own experiences as a breast cancer survivor living with a BRCA2 gene mutation.

The music director and entrepreneur was shocked by the diagnosis and the choice to undergo a mastectomy – a procedure he believed was intended mainly for girls with breast cancer. Now, after almost five years in remission, she is devoted to sharing her story and inspiring others to evaluate their very own risk of developing breast and other cancers and take steps to cut back their risk.

To support its efforts, Mathew has partnered with AstraZeneca on its “BeBRCAware” campaign. The initiative focuses on educating people about the importance of genetic testing, understanding family history and cancer risk, and the way identifying an inherited BRCA mutation might help with personalized look after breast, prostate and other cancers.

Knowles actually worked in medical sales and encouraged women to get mammograms to screen for breast cancer. He sold diagnostic imaging (mammography) equipment for 20 years before launching the music profession of his eldest daughter, Beyoncé.

“So I have 20 years of early detection in 1980 at my disposal.” – says Knowles BLACK ENTERPRISES. “I tried to tell every woman who would listen how important it was to get a mammogram.”

Fast forward to 2019, when Knowles noticed tiny spots of blood on his white T-shirt and bed. With extensive experience selling mammography equipment, Knowles knew what he needed to do.

“Thanks to the training, I immediately knew what it might mean, and then I called the doctor and asked for a mammogram,” Knowles recalls. “In 40 years he had never had a male patient ask for a mammogram, and I went for a mammogram and found out I had breast cancer.”

The famous Destiny’s Child manager highlighted the differences between men and ladies who test positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation. Men are at greater risk of developing breast or prostate cancer in men, while women usually tend to develop breast or ovarian cancer.

He emphasized that early detection through testing and talking to a physician is essential to managing this risk. Knowles can be desperate to return to his roots and showcase his knowledge.

“I’m very excited to be back in the medical community,” he says. “Most people don’t know that you know that they know the music side, but they don’t know the medical side. I really liked the medical side because I’m a nerd and I like learning new things in medicine.”

People occupied with learning more can visit the web site BeBRCAware.com for useful tools and resources to assist individuals understand their genetic risk for cancer and guide discussions with their doctors.

Press play below to learn more about Mathew Knowles’ breast cancer survivor story and the way the BeBRCAware campaign can allow you to start on the trail to getting tested.