I mentioned a few months ago that my mom was going in for a full hysterectomy and double mastectomy. She had her first surgery in February and her second the end of March. She is such an amazing example of true courage to me.
Many of you have asked me why she had these radical surgeries done at her age,- she's only 52, a pretty young age to be having these things done.- The simple answer to that is because she has a mutated gene that has been found to be the cause of Breast and Ovarian cancer. Its amazing how many medical advances we have when it comes to our health now days. Last spring my mom's aunt called her and asked if she would be willing to be a part of a study being done at the Huntsmen Cancer Institute. My mom's dad died of prostate cancer when he was in his mid 60's and her younger sister was diagnosed and later died of breast cancer at the very young age of 34. My moms aunt had done a lot of family history and found that there were many people in the family that had died of cancer at pretty young ages.
The story is pretty long but my mom ended up being tested for the BRCA 1 gene mutation that has been found in other family members. She tested positive for the mutation, and had a lot of options opened up to her. She prayed and talked with my dad and in the end decided to go with the ultimate sacrifice of removing all tissue that could cause any problem. She is so strong and brave!
With my mom having this mutation there is a 50% chance of me having this gene and in turn passing this gene on to my kids.
My biggest fear is being diagnosed with breast cancer. My moms sister had 4 small kids when she died, I watched her and her family fight this horrible battle. She was amazingly strong. But it terrified me! I would wake up in a cold sweat having horrible dreams of dying young of breast cancer. It is a very real fear for me. Testing positive for this mutation means your chances of developing breast cancer go from 10-12% to 50-80% developing ovarian cancer goes from 1-6% to 20-60% Those are come very serious numbers.
So with that in mind I decided to be tested for this same gene mutation. A week and a half ago Randy and I met with a genetic counselor to be tested and go over all my options if I tested positive. Testing positive would mean going in every six months for either a MRI or a mammogram starting immediately. I would also be screened every 6 months for ovarian cancer. I was told I too could have surgery to remove everything but they would want to hold off on that until I was at least 35, since such surgeries would throw me right into menopause.Or I could be put on a low dose pill form of cheom that I take for 5 years that would reduce my risk by 50%. I left there feeling scared but also empowered with answers, I was worried about having more kids, what it would mean for our family. Both Randy and I felt better after having all our questions answered and we went home to await the results.
Today I got a phone call from our Genetic Counselor she told me she had just received my results not even 5 minutes before calling me. I tested NEGATIVE for the BRCA 1 mutation! This means I drop down to the average normal population of women who only have a 10-12% chance of getting breast cancer. I wont pass this gene on to my kids or their kids. I still have my fears of course, maybe its just negative thinking on my part but I do fear I will be facing Breast cancer at some point in my life, but at least I wont be a mom with young babies at home when it happens.
I plead with my siblings to go be tested, I know its scary, I know making that appointment takes time, and that facing this is a hard thing, but I left Huntsmen's knowing that no matter what I would have answers in a few weeks, and those answers would give me power to face my fears with options that would keep me health!
For the rest of you, if you have a family history of Breast Cancer take it seriously, look at your family history and seriously consider being tested. With family history proof most insurances will pay for the test since its a preventative measure. My aunt found a lump in her breast a year before she was actually diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She lost a lot of valuable time by being afraid. Asking the questions is scary, but having the answers gives you power.
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