Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE  — Daniel Schaller thought the small seed-like lumps under his left nipple would eventually go away — he needed them to.

"I had no insurance, so I let it be," said the 51-year-old father who lives northwest of Montrose. "I thought over time it would go away."

In 2007, 45.7 million Americans were uninsured according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Schaller was part of that group and his lack of insurance deterred him from fighting his male breast cancer earlier.

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According to the American Cancer Society, 27 percent of people who were ever uninsured reported that they or their family members delayed or decided not to get care for cancer because of the cost.

When the lumps in his chest started to grow, he sensed it was cancerous, but remained silent. It wasn't until a year before his surgery, years after his suspicion, that he told his family.

"I felt like a criminal," he said about not telling anyone.  "You feel like you are a problem now."

Daniel had worked in "corporate Montrose," but then was laid off in 2004. Because of the layoff, he lost his health insurance. He decided to be his own boss and became a business and design advisor. He picked up other various jobs — did what he had to do to get by. He struggled to provide for his family; health insurance wasn't on the horizon.

Thirty-three percent of families report a problem paying for their cancer bills, according to the ACS. Twenty-five percent reported that they used up all or most of their savings dealing with cancer.

"There is always something financial," he said.

Schaller is his family's "breadwinner" and he didn't feel they could afford to lose that. His wife Michelle is a homemaker and teacher, homeschooling their children. She's now had to enter the workforce. While he was watching his children grow and graduate from high school, he was also watching the cancer in his breast develop.

"Things keep coming up," he said. "In life's business, there is no place to get off the wheel and take care of your needs."

But the need to get his chest examined caught up with his busy life. A Christmas trip to visit family last year was canceled. He found the pain in his chest was so intense he couldn't drive. When it hurt to get a hug from his daughter, he knew he had to get help.

"Don't wait, there is help," he said. Though he has lost his savings, vacation trips with his family and his retirement account, he realizes now that his delay could have cost him his life as well.

"For a guy, what day next week do you want to have body parts removed and go into financial ruin? You don't, so you put it off. It plays on your head. This is really, really serious and you realize your days are numbered," he said. "I didn't want to leave my wife behind."

It was this thinking that brought Daniel to the hospital where he was diagnosed Jan. 7. He had surgery to remove the tumor on Jan. 16, which by this point was the size of half an English muffin. After two weeks of healing, doctors conducted a CT and bone scan to determine if the cancer had spread.

"When I was first diagnosed, Dr. John Lambert (with Internal Medicine Specialty Group) absolutely thought I was a going to be a train wreck because of the lateness."

Of course, the doctors didn't tell him that until later, Daniel said.

Now that Daniel's chemotherapy is completed and he finished his radiation therapy last week, he looks at his experiences in a different light. He knows there's the chance it could come back, but he is one of the lucky ones.

Though male breast cancer cases only account for 1 percent of all breast cancers, approximately 450 men died from it in 2007, according to the ACS. More than 40,000 women died from breast cancer in 2007.

Mammograms are recommended at 40 of age.

Early detection testing is also available to low-income, underserved women who do not have health insurance through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. In Montrose, women 40 years and older, with or without insurance or who fall below the poverty level, get free testing, which includes breast and cervical cancer.

Call Montrose County Health and Human Services at 252-7052 to make an appointment. The program is called Women's Wellness Connection.

Medicaid helped Schaller pay for his cancer treatments, as some programs only assist women. He also received help from his community through fundraisers.

Because many cancer-funding programs have waiting lists, he recommends people seek out these options early.

The local support group, Bosom Buddies, also provides financial support, along with a place to share experiences and struggles.

This weekend, Bosom Buddies is holding its 16th annual "One Step Closer to Help and Hope" event. (Info: 252-2814.)

"I don't know today if I'm going to be free of cancer the rest of my life," Daniel said. "But the Lord knows and I'm to keep serving."

He hopes to participate in Saturday's walk, but his feet are still healing from chemotherapy. However, hundreds of others will walk and for many reasons. Some walk as a symbol of their survival or for those they've lost, while others walk so people like Schaller can survive.

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