KISS Member Battles Breast Cancer

KISS member Peter Criss is taking center stage for a different cause this month -- to promote breast cancer awareness.

Criss, the drummer who was known as “Catman,” beat breast cancer a year ago. Now he wants other men to know that yes, men can get the disease, too. According to CNN, Criss, who is now 63, was treated for breast cancer before his tumor could spread and tells the news network that he is now cancer free.

Now he wants to share his story with other men, who account for less than 1 percent of all breast cancer cases.

"So many people must die from this," Criss told CNN. "Somebody has to step up to the plate and say something to get them aware of how dangerous this is. Lots of men die: They wait, they don't go in, they put it off."

Criss didn’t wait when he first suspected something was wrong. According to CNN, he first noticed a painful lump in his left breast after a workout in 2007. He talked to his wife -- who was battling a different form of cancer at the time -- and sought medical attention, CNN reported.

According to the news network, Criss had surgery in February 2008 to remove what was believed to be a harmless nodule. Tests later showed that it was cancer.

“I flipped out. I just couldn’t believe it. It’s a nightmare,” Criss recalled to CNN. “I was angry at everything. I couldn’t believe I had this. I was a really angry guy for a long time.”

Criss underwent another surgery in March 2008 to remove the cancer. The disease was caught in its early stages, so Criss was able to avoid chemotherapy.

He is now back to drumming and, according to CNN, is working on a record and an autobiography, in addition to spreading the word to other men that this disease could affect them.

"It's just important -- just go get checked out," Criss told CNN. "It's not like you're going to lose your manhood."