Male breast cancer survivor getting ready for fashion show

He is willing to risk being embarrassed, he said, because it is a cause in which he believes.

"I'm trying to be a good sport because it's for a good cause." I feel like, with the added luck that has been given to me, "I want to be a good sport because it's for a good cause. try to give back when I can. "

Dori Sparks-Unsworth, executive director of Pink Ribbon Connection, which provides free breast cancer programming and support services, said Passmore's participation in the show is critical to spreading the message that men can to contract breast cancer.

"We had male survivors on the track before, and they are so uncomfortable, but they just have fun with it," she said. "And Eric is really funny, I think he's going to blow himself up there, and he's not going to fall."

Miller agrees but said that she had told him if this was happening: "You will fall with a lot of style."

The Parade of Cancer Survivors is a good time and a cause

Each year, the fashion show brings in about $ 100,000, which allows the non-profit organization to provide all its services for free, said Sparks-Unsworth.

Despite his protests about fashion, there's one thing about his appearance that counts for Passmore.

It's his hair. He loves it and he was afraid of losing it during treatment.

"I grew up in the '70s. I was a hippie," he said, describing how his black and curly hair fell on his shoulders when he was young.

Three weeks after the chemotherapy, the first big tuft of hair is out. "It has depressed me more than anything," he said.

His doctor had no sympathy for his vanity. "It's a short-term problem," she said. "We have longer-term goals." Losing her hair for a few months is a small price to pay for her health, she tells him.

Today, he is wearing full hair again, although the loop is gone. But cancer is too. He has a mammogram twice a year.

And he does not hesitate to tell friends and strangers that, yes, men have breast cancer.

It's a message that men must hear, said Miller.

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"Because it's rare and it's not something they think about, men tend to be diagnosed later with larger tumors and more advanced disease," she said. declared.

So, even though regular screenings are not usually necessary, men who notice a change in the nipple area or discharge should see a doctor, Miller said. "It's abnormal, and it's a potential problem."

Passmore 's address to high school students about organ donation several times a year as a supporter of the Indiana Donor Network. It does so to honor the memory of a 14 year old girl who saved her life. Beth Underwood died in a car accident, but she was an organ donor whose liver had gone to him. For years, he had the same license plate on his car. He reads "4 BETH."

"All I do is for her and for her."

These school assemblies are also the perfect opportunity to educate young men about breast cancer.

"Most of them have the same reaction – guys can not get it," he said. His answer: "I can show you a scar that says you can."

The parade of breast cancer survivors rose

When: 10 am to 2 pm October 13 (reception, lunch, fashion show).

Or: Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, 350 Maryland Street

Tickets: Tables for 10 are $ 750.

Info:pinkribbonconnection.org/fashion-show.