From Coach to Crusader, Teacher Becomes Advocate Following Cancer Journey

Juan Namnun is an easy-going high school teacher and baseball coach. He has spent the past two decades leading students at the very school he once attended. It’s also where he met his wife, who now teaches alongside him. But in 2022, these high school sweethearts—a former football player and cheerleader—faced an unexpected challenge when Juan was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 44.

“I actually discovered a lump while swimming,” he said. “I noticed it when I was in the pool but didn’t say anything to my wife. For weeks, I ignored it and explained it away.” He told himself it was a harmless cyst, that maybe he’d bumped into something, and it was swollen. But unfortunately, the lump never went away.

Once his wife noticed it too, it was only a matter of hours before Juan was at his doctor’s office. He was sent for a series of tests, including a breast biopsy, and was told that doctors would follow up soon.

A life-changing call

It was just before a planned family trip to Disney World when Juan got a call with the biopsy results. “I literally had the key in the door, locking up the house, and had to call everyone back in to tell them I had cancer,” he said. “It was really emotional because I hadn’t told the boys about the tests. Because why worry if it is nothing?”

After speaking with his doctor, Juan was able to enjoy a laughter-filled week at Disney with his family before starting treatment. Juan described one meal during the trip where the waiter asked what the family was celebrating. When Juan said they were celebrating life due to his recent cancer diagnosis, everyone teared up – including the waiter. “I need to go back and let that waiter know I’m OK. I totally ruined that Disney waiter’s day,” Juan now jokes.

A "really rough" recovery

After returning from vacation, and within two weeks of his diagnosis, Juan had a double mastectomy. He originally didn’t want to remove both breasts but decided he wanted the peace of mind that would come from having both removed. It turned out to be a wise decision, as during surgery, a second tumor was found in the same breast. Having a second tumor meant the removal of both breasts was the recommended surgical option.

Juan endured a recovery he describes as “really rough.” Not only was he recovering from major surgery, but he was also learning as he went along. Unfortunately, Juan and his wife discovered that there was not as much information or resources available for men recovering from double mastectomies as there was for women.

“If [my wife and I’s] roles were reversed, I would have been able to find much more information and support,” he said. “But there is not much out there for men about the symptoms of breast cancer, or recovering from it, or how to support them.” At one appointment, Juan was even asked if the patient was with him when he checked in and he had to explain that he was, in fact, the patient. 

Finding a new way to give back

During recovery, Juan thought about ways he could help other men facing a biopsy or mastectomy. That led him to the American Cancer Society, where he became a national advocate for men living with breast cancer. Since then, he has shared his story with news outlets across the country, including Good Morning America. But Juan wasn’t satisfied and decided to do even more to support the cause.

“My wife and I sat down and thought, how can we take what I’m really good at – coaching baseball – and use it to raise awareness about cancer,” he explained. Eventually, these chats turned into a high school baseball fest, which Juan planned during the winter and spring after his surgery. “I needed this distraction,” he said. “The shift from being in my own head to helping others is where it all changed for me.”

Juan’s event raised money for cancer research and patient support programs like Road to Recovery, which provides rides for patients to cancer treatment. “I tell people that every dollar they donate is altering the pathway of someone’s cancer journey,” he said.

“I live by this Swedish proverb. It’s basically that happiness shared gets doubled, and sadness shared gets broken in half. That’s been the case for me throughout this cancer journey,” Juan said. “When I first saw my physically altered body and was in a lot of pain, my wife was there, and she helped me through it. When we got the news that my cancer was in remission, the doctor was smiling, my wife was crying, I was crying happy tears, and within a few happy phone calls, a party had broken out.”