Tolstrup Hosts Breast Cancer Awareness Program on MATV

To kick-off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Barbara Tolstrup invited breast cancer survivor, Peter Devereaux, on her MATV show, “Malden Square,” to help educate the public that the disease affects men as well as women, according to a city press statement.

Also featured on the show was breast cancer survivor, Joann Stroud-Lebeau, who runs the Breast Cancer Program at the Malden YWCA, reads the statement.

“It is extremely important that we raise awareness of men having breast cancer,” Joann said in the statement. “Every year 2,000 men in this country are diagnosed. Last year 440 men died of the disease.”

Devereaux currently has stage four breast cancer and the disease has spread to other parts of his body and is undergoing treatments to control the spread of the cancer, according to the statement.

When Devereaux was diagnosed in January 2008, he was initially told that he had 2-4 years to live. “I’m still here and I’m reaching out to men to let them know that early detection is crucial,” he said in the statement.

The Malden YWCA is sponsoring the 10th celebration of “Tina’s Heart,” an event for breast cancer survivors on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 1-4 p.m. at the Malden Senior Center, according to the statement. The event is free for breast cancer survivors and the celebration includes lunch and entertainment, the statement adds.

For more information about the event or to donate to the Malden YWCA Breast Cancer Program, visit the Malden YWCA website.