A Family’s Experience with BRCA Genetic Testing
The Independent has an in-depth story about a family of sisters and their experience with BRCA genetic testing. It’s an incredibly touching peek into the lives of women with a family history of breast cancer and BRCA genes.
…Julie was devastated when her 29-year-old daughter, Jenny, was found to have the mutated gene. She will undergo a double mastectomy in January. Julie says: “I feel guilty, which I know is not rational. But it is my fault. I passed it on to her.”
Given my mood this week, I’ve gotta say: Life sucks.
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Yes, it does.
I am hoping my kids don’t have the Leukemia-Lymphoma genes I brought to the party. Nor the Breast Cancer, Parkinson’s genes my husband may have inherited.
I am glad there are some conditions that can be tested for so that people can take precautions. Then again, a double mastectomy is a terrible precaution to have to take.
Occasionally, I am the “glass is half-full” kinda person. I think there is alot of hope in genetic testing for BRCA genes. I once had a supervisor who had the mutated gene. She was also a survivor of ovarian cancer. Her sister, who at the time was cancer free, got tested and found that she also had the gene. I believe she had both her breasts and her ovaries removed.
It seems like a gruesome choice, but getting tested may have saved her from the fate of her mother, her aunts and her grandmother: dying young from cancer.
Kate: Maybe it’s important to focus on the “may” part of the sentence. Wonder what life’s going to be like when we know exactly what genes we’ve inherited.
Rebecca: lol @ “occasionally”
What a story you’ve shared. I’ve got an interview coming up with a member of the Bradfield family who had his stomach removed because he tested positive for the CDH1 mutation that is linked to stomach cancer. It’s an experience I hope I’ll never go through.
I am a 28 y/o female. Mother died of ovarian CA age 45, maternal grandmother died of ovarian ca age 55, maternal aunt died of breast ca age 35, my sister diagnosed w/ ovarian ca age 30 (still alive), how can I find out more info on BRCA1 testing, are there programs/studies I can take part in to see if I have the mutation? Is it confidential? Any help much appreciated. Thanks