My aunt has been telling me since my mom passed away 10 years ago that I need to get BRCA tested. Well, who, at 18 wants to do that? Fast forward to 2007, when I moved back to my hometown, and moved closer to her—and her reminders.
The truth is, I have been avoiding having the DNA test done because I felt like the results would be a death sentence. It took Matt literally threatening to break up with me if I didn’t make the appointment by the end of this month.
He was serious.
I went to a breast surgeon that my OB/GYN recommended to me. I saw her PA today, and she was wonderful. Many of my fears and misconceptions and truly misinformation was put to ease. If I test positive, there are a LOT of things they can do to help reduce my risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Yes, they are related.
Two weeks from now, I will find out whether I have BRCA 1 or BRCA 2, or neither. It used to feel like it would be a HUGE life-altering thing to have the answer, but right now, I feel really at peace about it. Either way, I will be fine.
Today really makes me reflect on the advances that have been made in cancer research and treatment, even in the 10 years since my mom has been gone. No, I don’t think she would have survived if she had been sick today instead of 10 years ago—hers was serious, and that’s not what I’m getting it. It makes me so very thankful for the many people who make those advances possible. So…
To those of you who devote your lives to cancer research, thank you.
To those of you who perform thousands of mammograms or MRIs a year on nervous women with lots of patience and compassion, thank you.
To the doctors who decide to practice in a really difficult and many times depressing field, thank you.
To their wonderful nurses and PAs, thank you.
To those of you who have walked walks, ran runs, bought t-shirts, worn pink, tied ribbons, donated a dollar (or lots of dollars), or raised awareness, thank you.
We are all in this together, and I think God for each and every one of you.
1 comments:
My grandmother died of ovarian cancer a couple of years ago. My mom has been avoiding the BRCA test b/c she's afraid it will mess up her eligibility for insurance. Have you found that to be true? I've tried to convince her to take it anyway, but she's very stubborn. :)
Glad you did it, even if Matt had to threaten you. :) I'll be praying you'll be able to rejoice in the results!
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