It has been nine months since I found out I had the genetic mutation BRCA2. In that time, I’ve received care from 10 different physicians and dozens of different nurses during 35 appointments/procedures. I’ve had two major surgeries starting with a total hysterectomy & Bilateral Salpingo Oophorectomy (BSO) and, most recently, a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (DIEP Flap). I’ve also had two MRIs, an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), a colonoscopy, countless blood tests and am now enrolled in a ten year long Pancreatic Cancer Study.
I’ve done everything possible to significantly reduce (or nearly eliminate) my chances of getting six different types of cancer: breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, peritoneal, cervical and endometrial*. To date, I remain cancer free. Going forward, I will continue to receive annual surveillance for breast, pancreatic, colon and melanoma cancers.
As I have discussed in my other posts, I was never meant to have genetic testing done in the first place. I have no family history of breast or ovarian cancer and all of my doctors questioned how I managed to get tested. My only explanation was a phone call I received from a woman named Simone at KCBC asking if I was interested.
A few months into all of this, I decided to call Simone back. I wanted to know what prompted her call. I was told that she had left KCBC. The woman I spoke with looked at my records and found a blank family history form with my name on it and a handwritten note that said “interested, please call.” I don’t recall writing that on any form, but it is a logical explanation for my receiving that fateful call.
As shocking and daunting as all of this was, I still feel like it was a blessing and am very much at peace. What you don’t know can kill you and having this knowledge equipped me with the very thing that cancer robs us of – control. Though no one can claim total control over the unknown or the known, I was at least able to seek out and implement a strategy with optimal results that will now allow me to breathe a lot easier going forward.
Nearly half of us will get some form of cancer in our lifetimes. Given the ubiquity of PFAS and other environmental hazards, there’s no reason to believe that those odds will decline anytime soon. Kate Middleton and Olivia Munn’s recent announcements about their diagnoses have also raised concerns about trends of cancer occurring in younger people.
We are fortunate to live in an era of significant medical advances that can help with early detection – the key to survival. In addition to MRIs, endoscopies, genetic testing and cancer risk assessments, there are a number of new tests and vaccines in the works. Unfortunately, these tools are not yet widely available. But, as it turned out for me, it never hurts to ask. And if you don’t like the answer you get, as my daughter has told me, you aren’t asking the right person. Keep asking, keep inquiring, keep looking out for yourself – because no one else will do it for you.
* Neither cervical nor endometrial cancer are affiliated with BRCA2; however, as I explained here, I decided to heed my doctor’s advice and have a full hysterectomy at the same time as my BSO.
Trina Baughn 