For all Tony Pottorff knew, the bump on his left breast was just a cyst.
Or scar tissue.
Anything but breast cancer.
But as the bump grew larger, Pottorff’s wife, Margie Pottorff, said it was time to get it checked out. That was in June 2017.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Pottorff, a Columbus East High School social studies teacher, scheduled an appointment at Columbus Regional Health to have the spot checked out. An ultrasound was all it took for doctors to be 99% sure it was cancer.
A biopsy at Community South Hospital in Greenwood confirmed his worst fear: 47-year-old Tony Pottorff was diagnosed with metastatic HER2-Positive breast cancer.
‘Men do get it’
Immediately following his diagnosis in June 2017, Tony Pottorff began a hormone blocking treatment via intravenous therapy (IV) and remained on that for about six months. On Jan. 4, 2018, he started IV chemotherapy for about eight months.
Tony Pottorff said he went back to the hormone blocking treatment and attempted targeted chemo, which he said worked really well for three months.
But this past April, on Easter Sunday, Tony Pottorff said he started to feel pressure building up on his heart. Unbeknownst to him, a liter of fluid, also called a pericardial effusion — had accumulated around his heart. It was cancerous.
Doctors created a window in his pericardium to drain the fluid, and placed a tube in his chest. This procedure also required him to stop treatment for a short time.
Later on, Tony Pottorff said he also had about a half-liter of fluid drained from his lungs. Since his original diagnosis, the cancer has spread beyond his left breast to his lungs and bones. He is currently receiving oral chemotherapy to treat the cancer.
“The disease is relatively stable we think,” Tony Pottorff said.
Margie Pottorff said her husband has been very transparent about his disease ever since hearing the dreaded words, “You have cancer.” Now, he’s doing everything he can to make sure no one else must hear that same sentence.
“It’s important for Tony to get that message out there that men do get it because a lot of men out there don’t think it’s something that men can get,” Margie Pottorff said.
Tony Pottorff has since become a member of the Male Breast Cancer Coalition, based out of Kansas City, Missouri, and frequently speaks to health classes and at other events. He passes out business cards with his name on them to remind people to give themselves frequent breast self-exams.
Each of Tony Pottorff’s wrists are covered with bracelets, each bracelet symbolizing something different. Pointing to each wristband, Tony Pottorff recalls their meaning.
“This one is from the Susan G. Komen three-day walk; these two are from the Simon Cancer Center,” he said.
“They’ll put goodie bags on different tables made by people in the community,” Margie Pottorff said, pointing to a string with pink and blue beads around it. “This was in it, made by a kid. What was perfect about it is the male breast cancer coalition — their colors are blue and pink.”
The bracelet that stands out most is a handmade MudLOVE bracelet that says, “Courage” — something Tony Pottorff isn’t lacking.
Faith, family and a fighter
“Cancer really tries to steal everything,” Margie Pottorff said. “It’s a thief. It tries to steal your faith. We’ve always tried to instill faith in our girls. Cancer tries to steal your bank account, your piece of mind, your hope, you can go on and on. It tries to rip apart everything in the world.”
She can remember the air being sucked out of the small room at the doctor’s office when they first received the news. She caught herself gasping for air.
But the family made a conscious decision in that moment that they wouldn’t let cancer destroy them — whatever came their way, they would face it with God and the support of others.
Through the entire journey, Margie Pottorff said she has learned a lot about her husband.
“I always just thought of him as a lover — a lover, not a fighter,” she said. “That’s not true. He’s a fighter. I learned that through this experience.”
Tony Pottorff said it’s easier to fight when he has the support of the people he does and a motivation. He’s set multiple goals for himself: To see his daughters, Amanda and Delaney, graduate high school. To see his daughters get married. To meet his grandkids. To be his wife’s life partner.
‘I just forget I have cancer’
Teaching is a calling for Tony Pottorff. His wife says God created him for the classroom — she’s always known that.
“It’s not a job,” Margie Pottorff tells her husband. “It’s a way of life for you.”
Many people are surprised when they learn Tony Pottorff still spends nearly every day in the classroom, even while battling stage 4 breast cancer. But Margie Pottorff said he wouldn’t be Tony if he wasn’t in his classroom.
Tony Pottorff is celebrating his 20th anniversary as a teacher this year. His career began in Indianapolis, and he transferred to Columbus East after his second year in the field to teach social studies.
But it’s not about the content for Tony Pottorff, he admits, no matter how much he loves social studies.
“When you’re around the kids, if you truly love what you’re doing, you can’t help but just get their positive energy — they’re always looking forward,” Tony Pottorff said.
“It’s easy for someone in my position to say, ‘OK, the end of my time is here.’ How much do I have? Do I have months? Do I have years? I know it’s pretty short, but when you’re around the kids, they really are looking forward. They’ve got their entire life in front of them, and that’s everybody you interact with. More so than anywhere, I can be at school and I just forget I have cancer.”
Paying it forward
Tony Pottorff was greeted at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 22 in his classroom by East principal Mark Newell, Margie Pottorff and his two daughters.
Standing behind them was another special guest, a teenage boy he didn’t recognize. Margie, Amanda and Delaney Pottorff were told they would be surprising Tony Pottorff with an outstanding teacher award.
But what they didn’t know about was what that teen, Columbus East senior Seth Chandler, was holding in his hands.
Chandler lost his own mother, Chena Chandler, to bone and lung cancer in 2014. Just a year before she died, Chandler’s family was surprised with a free trip to Orlando, Florida, through Inheritance of Hope, a nonprofit organization that serves families battling a life-threatening illness.
For his senior project this year, Chandler is hosting a 5K walk and run at the Columbus East football field on Oct. 26 to raise funds for Inheritance of Hope.
“In 2013 while receiving treatment, (my mom) was approached by a nurse and the nurse asked about her kids,” Chandler said. “We were later on introduced to Inheritance of Hope. I want to continue my mother’s legacy, and on behalf of Inheritance of Hope, I would like to give you this letter.”
The letter invited the Pottorff family on a four-day retreat to New York City or Orlando. They hope to travel to New York City in November.
“It was just another sign that people really are good,” Tony Pottorff said. “Clearly he was most affected by his mom but he felt the need to carry that forth, and to be the recipient of that, I can’t put it into words. It solidifies that God’s got this, people are great and the East community is unbelievable.”
Beating the odds
Tony Pottorff said he still has a long road ahead, and he’s taking in every moment.
He frequently spends time with his daughters, attending concerts, traveling to amusement parks and taking trips when his health allows.
“You can beat the odds,” Tony Pottorff said. “It can be done. I haven’t beaten cancer yet, but I’m already past the average age of survival for somebody with Stage 4. I’ll be here for a while. Take what’s precious in your life, hold on to that, use that for motivation and push forward.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Meet Tony Pottorff” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Age: 47
Education: Bachelor of arts in sociology, IUPUI; bachelor of arts in education, Indiana University; master of arts in education, Indiana Wesleyan University
Family: Wife, Margie; two daughters, Amanda, 18, and Delaney, 14
Community involvement: Member of First Christian Church of Columbus; cross country coach, Northside Middle School; track coach, Central Middle School
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”What is Inheritance of Hope?” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Inheritance of Hope is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that serves families battling a life-threatening illness.
For more on the organization, visit:
https://inheritanceofhope.org/
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”How to complete a breast self-exam” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Women:
- Check your breasts in front of a mirror for any symptoms or abnormalities.
- Check your nipples carefully, lumps may be found behind the nipple.
- In a sitting or standing position, use the pads of the three middle fingers – examine using light, medium, and deep pressure.
- Examining starts at the collarbone and continues down and up the entire breast in a vertical pattern.
- Position yourself in bed which leads to a more even distribution of your breast tissue. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
Men:
- Check your breasts in front of a mirror for any symptoms or abnormalities.
- Examine the nipple, most men find their lumps under the nipple
- In a sitting or standing position, use the pads of the three middle fingers – examine using light, medium, and deep pressure.
- Examining starts at the collarbone and continues down and up the entire breast in a vertical pattern.
- Position yourself in bed which leads to a more even distribution of your breast tissue. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
Source: The Male Breast Cancer Coalition
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”How to help” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Donate to Tony’s Fight: 2 Years Down, 28 to Go at:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/tony039s-fight-2-years-down-28-to-go?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheetgofundme.com/f/tony039s-fight-2-years-down-28-to-go?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
All money received goes to cover the Pottorff family’s medical expenses.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
