GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION
YOU South Africa|2 November 2023
After his shock diagnosis of breast cancer, Zac Yarbrough has made it his mission to promote awareness of the disease in men
MAXINE PETERS
GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION

HE’S so full of energy and vitality it’s hard to believe he’s fighting a private battle every day.

His smile is infectious, his motto is “no bad days” and one of his goals is to brighten the lives of everyone he knows.

It’s a mindset that helps keep Zac Yar positive even on the darkest days – and there have been some dark days.

Zac was diagnosed with male breast cancer four years ago and is sharing his story with YOU during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness of an illness regarded as “more of a woman’s disease”.

The first sign of trouble came when he was swimming with his two daughters, Ella and Georgia, at their home in Jacksonville, Florida, in the US.

His arm grazed across his chest and he felt a knot under his left nipple. “It was small, you know, probably half the size of a marble,” Zac tells us via video call. “I didn’t really think anything of it.”

He had a busy life as a photographer and videographer, traveling the world for work. The knot didn’t go away but Zac presumed it was a cyst. “But when I got off the road four months later it had grown to the size of a golf ball so I knew I had to get it checked out.”

His doctor sent him for a mammogram and he then had a biopsy – and the news wasn’t good. Zac had stage 4 invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common breast cancer in men.

He was stunned. “I’d never heard of male breast cancer and no one in my family had had cancer so it didn’t even cross my mind that I might have it.”

Esta historia es de la edición 2 November 2023 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición 2 November 2023 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE YOU SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
YOU South Africa

SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES

John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 December 2024
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
YOU South Africa

SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG

A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 December 2024
LIAM LAID TO REST
YOU South Africa

LIAM LAID TO REST

More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024
SHILOH HANGS OUT
YOU South Africa

SHILOH HANGS OUT

THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024
LEO IN LOVE
YOU South Africa

LEO IN LOVE

He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down

time-read
3 minutos  |
5 December 2024
PACKING A PUNCH
YOU South Africa

PACKING A PUNCH

Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 December 2024
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
YOU South Africa

I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD

As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 December 2024
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
YOU South Africa

'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'

A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 December 2024
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
YOU South Africa

THE CLAWS ARE OUT!

Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William

time-read
7 minutos  |
5 December 2024
SA'S TOXIC FOOD SCARE
YOU South Africa

SA'S TOXIC FOOD SCARE

R15 million for rapid testing

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024