A Little History About Myself
When I was only 8 years old, my mother died from breast cancer. She was diagnosed at the young age of 30, after finding a lump when performing a self breast exam. She was married to a loving husband and had a 12 year old son, named Adam. Growing up, I remember being somewhat of a sensitive child, and had a hard time being separated from my mom. My grandmother, Millie, seems to think that the sensitivity was attributed to my mom being away at Vanderbilt for treatments. In the summer of '91, my mother lost her 8 year long battle with breast cancer. Our lives would be forever changed.
Cancer has literally stalked my family. My grandfather died two years before my mom, due to lung, throat and tongue cancer. My mother's sister died in her early 50's from melanoma. My mother's aunt died at the age of 35, after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. She left behind 5 young girls, 4/5 who tested positive for the BRCA 2 mutation. Heck, we even had a great uncle that had breast cancer.
About 5 to 6 years ago, my second cousins, who carry the gene, organized a meeting to educate the rest of the family members on genetic testing and preventative measures. Two of them were already planning to have their prophylactic bilateral mastectomies. Although my mother died prior to genetic testing becoming available, it was more than likely that she carried the BRCA 2 mutation. If so, that meant that both my brother and I had a 50% chance of carrying the gene. I have to be honest, that night at dinner I felt completely overwhelmed and scared of all the information that was thrown at me. I remember going home to my boyfriend, Cooper, and crying my eyes out. Deep down I knew that I already had the gene...I didn't need a test to prove it. And the thought of possibly losing my breasts and ovaries was more than I could handle. Cooper held me close that night and reassured me that everything was going to be okay.
I started having mammograms at the age of 25. Doctors typically recommend that you start this form of screening a decade before your mother's diagnosis. I was a little behind, but not by too much :) The trouble with mammograms and with being young, is that there are a lot of false positive and negatives, because the breast tissue is so dense. Finally, in the summer of 2009, my cousin, Kelley, and I decided to go be genetically tested. Three weeks later, the blood test revealed that Kelley was negative and I was positive for the BRCA 2 mutation.
The positive test result hit me like a ton of bricks. As the genetic counselor and oncologist educated me that I had up to an 87% risk for breast cancer, and up to a 50% risk for ovarian cancer, all I could think was "get me the hell out of this room!!!" The oncologist encouraged me to live my life like any normal 27 year old girl. He said that eating an organic diet, eliminating alcohol, and exercising would not lower my risks. Of course it is important for every human being to live an active and healthy lifestyle, but when you have a deleterious mutation in your genes, nothing will change it. The oncologist strongly recommended that I alternate mammograms with breast MRI's every 6 months.
In November, I went for my first breast MRI. The whole experience was terrible. The nurse ruptured my IV, and I was unaware that I was claustrophobic in small spaces. Let me advise anyone that has never had the MRI of their breasts, to take the anti anxiety medication they offer you, prior to imaging! It really helps! A few days later, I got the call with the results of my MRI. Low and behold they found a small area on my right breast that they felt needed to be biopsied. I fell apart after I got off the phone with my doctor. I thought, "This is it. I have cancer." Luckily, the needle biopsy showed a benign mass, and a small clamp was placed inside my breast, so the doctors could always keep an eye on it.
Cooper and I decided to take some time and attention away from my BRCA 2 mutation and testing. Some may think that is not a very bright idea, but I needed a mental break. Cooper proposed in March 2010 and we were married in May 2011. My whole life I prayed to find and marry a man like Cooper Pass. I know that both God, and my mom, had a hand in picking him for me. He is perfect for me. He is my soul mate. There is no way I could be going through this new journey in my life without him. I am the luckiest girl in the world!
Once life settled down after the wedding and honeymoon, my internist recommended that I visit a breast surgeon here in Louisville. This way, I could do all of my screenings (breast MRI, mammogram) in one setting, instead of running around all over town. My first appointment lead to the discussion of prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, and the breast surgeon highly recommended it since I was close to the age my mom was diagnosed. I fell apart right there in the office. I told the surgeon that I had always envisioned having children and breast feeding if possible. The surgeon strongly recommended that I think about surgery before children, because pregnancy can sometimes increase your risk for developing breast cancer. The appointment ended with the breast surgeon doing a breast exam. She was concerned about a lump she felt in my left breast, and ordered additional screenings. "Here we go again, " I thought to myself. Luckily, all the scans were negative and I was cancer free.
About a year ago, I came to the conclusion that having a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy was something that I needed to consider. I set up several appointments with local plastic and general surgeons, and arranged meetings with women who had been through the surgery. My husband and I attended a support group through FORCE here in Louisville. All of my friends and family were incredibly supportive through my decision making process. I am forever grateful to them and the brave women who came forward to share their stories with me. Making the decision to move forward with surgery is the hardest part, and they made it so much easier for me, surrounding me with love and support.
In May of 2012, I made the phone call to the general surgeon's office to schedule surgery. November 5th, 2012 was the day I would officially say "good bye" to my breasts.
Cancer has literally stalked my family. My grandfather died two years before my mom, due to lung, throat and tongue cancer. My mother's sister died in her early 50's from melanoma. My mother's aunt died at the age of 35, after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. She left behind 5 young girls, 4/5 who tested positive for the BRCA 2 mutation. Heck, we even had a great uncle that had breast cancer.
About 5 to 6 years ago, my second cousins, who carry the gene, organized a meeting to educate the rest of the family members on genetic testing and preventative measures. Two of them were already planning to have their prophylactic bilateral mastectomies. Although my mother died prior to genetic testing becoming available, it was more than likely that she carried the BRCA 2 mutation. If so, that meant that both my brother and I had a 50% chance of carrying the gene. I have to be honest, that night at dinner I felt completely overwhelmed and scared of all the information that was thrown at me. I remember going home to my boyfriend, Cooper, and crying my eyes out. Deep down I knew that I already had the gene...I didn't need a test to prove it. And the thought of possibly losing my breasts and ovaries was more than I could handle. Cooper held me close that night and reassured me that everything was going to be okay.
I started having mammograms at the age of 25. Doctors typically recommend that you start this form of screening a decade before your mother's diagnosis. I was a little behind, but not by too much :) The trouble with mammograms and with being young, is that there are a lot of false positive and negatives, because the breast tissue is so dense. Finally, in the summer of 2009, my cousin, Kelley, and I decided to go be genetically tested. Three weeks later, the blood test revealed that Kelley was negative and I was positive for the BRCA 2 mutation.
The positive test result hit me like a ton of bricks. As the genetic counselor and oncologist educated me that I had up to an 87% risk for breast cancer, and up to a 50% risk for ovarian cancer, all I could think was "get me the hell out of this room!!!" The oncologist encouraged me to live my life like any normal 27 year old girl. He said that eating an organic diet, eliminating alcohol, and exercising would not lower my risks. Of course it is important for every human being to live an active and healthy lifestyle, but when you have a deleterious mutation in your genes, nothing will change it. The oncologist strongly recommended that I alternate mammograms with breast MRI's every 6 months.
In November, I went for my first breast MRI. The whole experience was terrible. The nurse ruptured my IV, and I was unaware that I was claustrophobic in small spaces. Let me advise anyone that has never had the MRI of their breasts, to take the anti anxiety medication they offer you, prior to imaging! It really helps! A few days later, I got the call with the results of my MRI. Low and behold they found a small area on my right breast that they felt needed to be biopsied. I fell apart after I got off the phone with my doctor. I thought, "This is it. I have cancer." Luckily, the needle biopsy showed a benign mass, and a small clamp was placed inside my breast, so the doctors could always keep an eye on it.
Cooper and I decided to take some time and attention away from my BRCA 2 mutation and testing. Some may think that is not a very bright idea, but I needed a mental break. Cooper proposed in March 2010 and we were married in May 2011. My whole life I prayed to find and marry a man like Cooper Pass. I know that both God, and my mom, had a hand in picking him for me. He is perfect for me. He is my soul mate. There is no way I could be going through this new journey in my life without him. I am the luckiest girl in the world!
Once life settled down after the wedding and honeymoon, my internist recommended that I visit a breast surgeon here in Louisville. This way, I could do all of my screenings (breast MRI, mammogram) in one setting, instead of running around all over town. My first appointment lead to the discussion of prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, and the breast surgeon highly recommended it since I was close to the age my mom was diagnosed. I fell apart right there in the office. I told the surgeon that I had always envisioned having children and breast feeding if possible. The surgeon strongly recommended that I think about surgery before children, because pregnancy can sometimes increase your risk for developing breast cancer. The appointment ended with the breast surgeon doing a breast exam. She was concerned about a lump she felt in my left breast, and ordered additional screenings. "Here we go again, " I thought to myself. Luckily, all the scans were negative and I was cancer free.
About a year ago, I came to the conclusion that having a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy was something that I needed to consider. I set up several appointments with local plastic and general surgeons, and arranged meetings with women who had been through the surgery. My husband and I attended a support group through FORCE here in Louisville. All of my friends and family were incredibly supportive through my decision making process. I am forever grateful to them and the brave women who came forward to share their stories with me. Making the decision to move forward with surgery is the hardest part, and they made it so much easier for me, surrounding me with love and support.
In May of 2012, I made the phone call to the general surgeon's office to schedule surgery. November 5th, 2012 was the day I would officially say "good bye" to my breasts.