When an Employee Becomes a Patient, and that Patient Becomes a Survivor
“I help people stop using drugs and alcohol, advocate for them and provide any additional help in their journey to recovery,” said Wayne Sparks, who works at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Opioid Abatement as a Peer Recovery Navigator.
Sparks has been encouraging patients to fight, persevere and overcome their substance abuse issues for years. But the line between patient and caregiver (navigator) eventually blurred.
Life began to imitate Sparks’ art, or more specifically, his job.
Because when he was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2025, the script was flipped and it was now his turn to practice what he preached.
Fight, persevere and overcome.
“Men don’t get breast cancer”
“I’m not thinking anything negative. Because in my mind, men don’t get breast cancer,” Sparks remembered the days leading up to the news.
Breast cancer was the last thing on his mind. And the numbers support his thinking, with the American Cancer Society estimating that fewer than 1% of breast cancers in the U.S. occur in men.
His symptoms, on the other hand, told a different story.
“One night I’m lying in bed and get this sharp pain in my chest,” Sparks recalled. “It was right in my nipple area.”
The pain would come and go. A pattern that happened so much that despite the discomfort, the 62-year-old decided to delay immediate medical attention and wait until an upcoming appointment with his primary care physician (PCP) to seek answers.
And if the pain wasn’t enough, his nipple even began inverting (pointing inward), but again, he chose to wait. Sparks remained optimistic because in his words, “men don’t get breast cancer.”
But his PCP thought otherwise. Which is why he immediately ordered a mammogram.
“The mammogram happened two or three days later. But they are not fun. Now I see what women go through,” he said.
The mammogram revealed lumps which prompted an ultrasound. The scan confirmed that lumps were located near his nipple and armpit lymph nodes.
The possibility of breast cancer didn’t seem so impossible anymore.
Two days later, he underwent a breast biopsy which removes a small sample of breast tissue to check for cancer, and described the experience as, “The worst pain I have ever felt in my life.”
On an otherwise routine and calm Friday night, which involved a weekly card game with his friends, a phone call interrupted the festivities. The call that he had waited a week for had the potential to change everything.
Metastatic carcinoma. Stage 4 breast cancer.
Earth-shattering news that immediately unleashed the darkest, most pessimistic thoughts in Sparks’ mind. “I don’t cry. I just get up and excuse myself from the game. And I think, ‘Wow. This is it. My life is over.’”
Documenting the journey
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the five-year survival rate for Stage 4 breast cancer in men is 31%. Not completely discouraging, but low enough to validate how Sparks felt.
Believing that his time was limited, he shared the news with his son, Wayne Jr., and daughter, Danetra.
But like any life-changing news, the word started to spread, prompting many phone calls and inquiries. Sparks found himself continuously repeating the news and revisiting the trauma associated with the diagnosis. His solution—social media.
“I documented it all on Facebook. My PET scan, CT scan, the echocardiogram. Everything,” he said.
Documenting his battle with breast cancer on Facebook allowed his loved ones to follow his journey without leaving anyone left out. It was also a form of therapy. Because acknowledging his diagnosis as a man was important, especially considering Sparks himself was once a skeptic.
“My mother and aunt both died of cancer. But I found out that my uncle died of breast cancer too,” the peer recovery navigator discovered. “He didn’t want to tell anyone when he was alive.”
However, Sparks made sure that all 4.3 thousand of his Facebook friends knew. He showed them the effects of 12 weeks of chemotherapy, from losing all of his hair and much of his weight to spending entire weekends in bed due to exhaustion. All while still showing up to work every single day.
“I have a wonderful boss and amazing coworkers,” he said. “They knew I’d be exhausted, but they took care of me.”
Also, instead of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, he learned that he actually had stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, an earlier stage of breast cancer that hadn’t spread all over his body and was easier to treat. A small win or good omen, perhaps.
Two surgeries, one year
He rang the bell on April 1, 2026, marking his final chemotherapy treatment.
But just as chemotherapy ended, another obstacle began.
Sparks now had to prepare for surgery. Because he inherited a BRCA2 gene (small segments of mutated DNA that can lead to a high lifetime risk of aggressive cancer), he had to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy—a removal of both breasts.
Since he had to return home with two surgical draining tubes on both sides, the next couple of weeks were anything but normal. He specifically mentioned that showering and sleeping were the hardest things to do during this time.
Wayne Jr. and Danetra visited as much as possible to aid their father. “My kids—bless their hearts—they did their best. Coming over and taking care of their dad.”
The tubes were eventually taken out, and Sparks was seemingly ready to return to work—instead, another surgery was on the horizon.
As a precaution, the surgeon went back in to surgically remove 20 more lymph nodes.
“Most people go their entire lives without having any major surgeries. I've had two in the last year alone,” Sparks said. “But I'm still here. I’m still fighting.”
Cancer survivor
He still had 19 sessions of radiation ahead of him, every day after work for about a month.
The finish line may have been moved a couple of times, but all that mattered was the peer recovery navigator making it across. And that’s exactly what happened when he was finally given the news that he was cancer-free.
The fight was tougher than he ever imagined, but in the end, Sparks stayed true to his word.
He fought, persevered and ultimately became a cancer survivor.
As both an employee and a patient, Sparks found himself spending more time at Parkland than he ever anticipated. Throughout his treatment, however, the compassion and support of the Parkland team helped make the journey a little easier.
“I was treated so well. They eased my mind every single time. I think every single employee was made for their jobs,” Sparks shared, going so far as to highlight Senior Medical Practice Assistant Breanna Jones. “She was amazing. When I was doing the infusion (chemotherapy), she would come by, check on me and give me hugs.”
Now, he’s channeling his energy into raising awareness of male breast cancer, advocating for early testing and connecting with fellow survivors to encourage other men to get tested and build a supportive community.
“I’m here,” Sparks affirmed. “You’re not alone and I’ll be here to support anybody in any way I can.”
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