Throughout his career, Mathew Knowles has held a number of titles, including author, entrepreneur, father, motivational speaker, and now, advocate. The renowned mogul’s legacy in the realms of music and business proves to be an authentic illustration of what occurs when work ethic intersects with passion and dedication. In the past, we’ve seen Mr. Knowles transparently discuss the inner workings of these fields, and now, he’s opening up about something else near and dear to his heart — his experience as a male breast cancer survivor living with the BRCA2 gene mutation. Mr. Knowles recently partnered with AstraZeneca on the BeBRCAware campaign to spread awareness about the importance of genetic testing, something that he continuously uses his platform for.
“I’m grateful that I have a platform that I can use to bring more awareness because it’s all about early detection and knowledge,” Mr. Knowles said. “It aligned with my initiatives of getting the information out there about the importance of genetic testing for men and women. Knowledge is powerful.”
When Mr. Knowles initially tested positive for BRCA2, he admittedly didn’t know much about genetic testing. The diagnosis led him to research and learn more and to his partnership with AstraZeneca.
“I didn’t know much; I knew very little about genetic testing. I had my surgery, and my surgeon wanted to conduct a test while I was in surgery. I got a call a couple of days later to come to his office, and he shared with me that that test was a genetic test, and I tested positive. And what that meant is that for those who test positive, you have a greater risk. It doesn’t say you’ll get the disease; it only says you have a greater risk. And for men, it’s male breast cancer, it’s pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, which was a great concern for me. So when he gave me that information, I was startled. I’m a researcher and like to educate and learn, so I just started studying genetic testing as much as possible. That led me to my partnership and relationship as an ambassador with AstraZeneca.”
Mr. Knowles’ diagnosis not only moved him to learn more about genetic testing but it also led him to make lifestyle changes, incorporating more physical activity into his life. Mr. Knowles also speaks to the mental and emotional tolls and why sharing pertinent information with one’s doctor is crucial.
“For me, it was a lifestyle change, and that’s what I did. I changed my diet completely, exercised, and lost 30 pounds, and I’m still working on another 10. Yesterday, I did my two-mile walk in 45 minutes. Every other day, I work hard to walk for two miles. During the pandemic, I remember calling my therapist because I was overreacting because I had male breast cancer going through COVID-19. I was very frightened, so there’s also the mental part of it. There’s an emotional part of any cancer that we get, so it’s important to get the information and share it with your physician because it could mean different targeted treatments.”
As he continues spreading awareness about the BRCA2 gene mutation and the importance of genetic testing, Mr. Knowles speaks to how men being vulnerable with themselves and asking for help can help them deal with health issues.
“In our vulnerability lies our safety. Men should know that. Whenever I get on stage to give a speech, I say that my vulnerability lies in my safety. Vulnerability also means getting the information and not being ashamed to say you need help. As men, we want to wait until the last minute to go to the doctor. We want to wait until it hurts, especially Black men, as we’re having some of the highest mortality rates because we wait too late. I knew at that time I needed to talk to my therapist to understand what was happening emotionally. I realized that I had never dealt with my fear of dying when I had breast cancer. So I had to deal with that. Often, you see people isolate themselves, and that’s not good. That’s not good at all.”