To the Men Who Show Up
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the steady, quiet love of the men who help hold families together. Every day fathers, husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons, brothers and friends walk beside their loved ones through life’s most difficult moments. At Susan G. Komen, we know that breast cancer doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed — it touches everyone who loves them.
This Father’s Day, we honor the men whose strength shows up in tender moments, whose love anchors their families, and whose presence helps carry the weight of a breast cancer diagnosis.
Russell
For Shanise, her husband Russell was more than a caregiver — he was her calm in the storm, her unwavering support and the kind of father their children could always count on.
Russell was my anchor. My best friend. My strength when I had none left. He was there in every moment, learning how to care for me physically, emotionally and spiritually. He never left my side. From managing hospital logistics to gently dressing my wounds and holding me as I cried, he carried the weight of my illness with such tenderness. We often fell asleep holding hands, not needing to say a word. It was our way of promising that whatever came next, we would face it together. His love gave me permission to fall apart and the strength to pull myself back together.
As a father, Russell is the kind of man who makes our children feel safe just by being near. Even in the middle of my most difficult moments, he never wavered in showing up for them. His strength is quiet, his love is constant, and his example teaches our children that being present, kind, and steady is what real strength looks like.
He is also the kind of father who remains present and available. Our children know and understand the importance of what a family unit truly means because of him. They see the value in unwavering commitment, in the sanctity of marriage and in the vows we took, not once but twice. Russell is so amazing we got married twice just to include our children in the love we have for each other and for them.
Jacob
For Jacob, husband of breast cancer survivor, Shawna, leaning on his faith allowed him to show up for his wife and daughter every day.
Shawna’s diagnosis was a really scary thing. It was hard to manage and maintain all the normal life tasks – household duties, caring for our one-year-old daughter – while also caring for Shawna. It was such a stressful time. We were living in a heightened flight or fight state while getting little sleep from caring for our toddler.
I felt on guard a lot. I was anxious and every little thing would make me jump, almost like a PTSD trauma. To this day, through all the commotion and mental stress, we don’t remember all the events or special memories with our daughter during that time, but we are so glad we took lots of pictures of our daughter during family outings.
I learned to lean on my faith with lots of prayer and reading my Bible. God put me in the position to help care for Shawna and our daughter, through sickness and health and for better or worse.
Now it touches my heart strings a lot more seeing someone going through cancer or health hardships, as I can understand pieces of what they’re going through and it reminds me of the difficult times we went through. It makes you have a lot more compassion and kindness for others, as you never know what anyone is going through.
Shawn
Shawn, husband of breast cancer survivor, Tawyna, recalls the two best days of his life:
When I found out that Tawnya had breast cancer, it hit me like a ton of bricks. She was the 17th female on her mom’s side to be diagnosed and not knowing what the next day held was terrifying. There was a reason our relationship blossomed again. I was meant to be there for her to lean on and know that she didn’t have to go through it alone.
She is the best thing to happen to me and the possibility of having our life together taken away was very scary. We were both so worried, but I knew I was going to be there for her no matter what. I proposed to Tawnya and we got married three days before her mastectomy. We were married onstage at our local Komen MORE THAN PINK Walk.
That was one of the best days of my life. The other was finding out she was cancer free.
John
John, a Komen volunteer and father to Melissa, continues the fight to keep his daughter’s memory alive.
Losing Melissa to breast cancer was the hardest thing I’ve faced as a father. She had such passion and fire – and she was so determined to do everything in her power to support others facing breast cancer. Volunteering and fundraising for Komen is my way of continuing her fight and keeping her memory alive, not just for me, but also for her two precious girls who lost their mother much too young.
Hector
Hector went into “protector mode” when his wife, Nisha, was diagnosed with stage 2 HER-2 positive invasive ductal carcinoma.
I tried so hard to fight off the negative thoughts. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about what I would do if I became a single dad. She handled all her treatments and the mental challenges much better than I ever could and I am so grateful she’s better.
The Role They Play
Whether a survivor, through caregiving, fundraising or standing quietly by a loved one’s side, men play an essential role in the breast cancer community. For Father’s Day, we honor and thank the fathers, husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons, brothers and friends whose strength and love help carry others through their hardest days.
Their support reminds us that no one has to walk through breast cancer alone and together, we are stronger.
Do you need help with a breast cancer diagnosis? We’re here for you!
Call 1-877-465-6636 or email helpline@komen.org to get started.
The Helpline is available Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (ET) and Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET).
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Komen has educational resources available to help you deal with your own diagnosis here,
We also have resources to help those who are supporting someone with breast cancer here.
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their healthcare provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
