Posted on 05/13/2013 10:08:45 PM PDT by CaptainK
MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.
We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Wow. Very harsh. I will pray for her.
A “preventative” double mastectomy?
Does she have cancer?
Wow. Sorry to hear this.
Thank you for posting this. I have one dear friend who has faced an unfortunate diagnosis. Prayers up for all our dear ones....
She did NOT have cancer. But because of the fear of the family history odds, she had it done voluntarily .
I think that is insane.
The doctors told her she had an 87% chance of developing cancer. I can kind of understand her choice.
And she is going to go for the ovary’s next?
I know many here may not like her and some may not respect her very logical decision. But I find her sharing of her situation to be a great act of love for any women and their husbands that may have to deal with a similar situation. I am also sure this article will shine a light on the issue overall.
John did raise a unique and loving, caring daughter. She has both her father and mother's courage.
That’s the inference I got from the article
I think I would monitor the situation, and only resort to a mastectomy if cancer developed.
It seems premature and weird to me.
Absolutely.
Cancer, especially ones particularly potent like breast or ovarian cancer, can be too late to treat by the time the problem is detected. I understand her choice. All cancers are not the same, even when they affect the same organ. She must have had information from her doctors about the potency of the particular kind of cancer the gene defect is known to provoke.
It’s easy to play pretend and armchair-command the situation, but the perspective gets a lot different when one’s at ground zero. The route she took is one that is advised and taken by many with the misfortune of inheriting that particular gene.
Ya, weird.
I’d play the odds, myself.
Been playin’ them for awhile.
Should she be telling the public all about this? But, I guess she had a lot to get off her chest.
How can you monitor an aggressive cancer? To some people living everyday with fear, that is a rational fear, is more overwhelming than undergoing a radical preventative measure.
Once cancer sets in, it has taken on a life of its own. One day you get a call and the next year they are gone. Some breast cancers can be so aggressive that not much time can pass from diagnosis to death (certainly not always the case but can be especially true in cases such as hers.)
Agreed!
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