Today is the first ever National Previvor Day. And while I blogged about this incredible resolution when Congress first passed it, I wanted to write something to the five women who first introduced me to the world of previvors a few years ago:

I know how much this day means to you. I know that the whole reason you wanted to create a book was to raise awareness for previvors, and now you have a national day that helps you spread your message just a little bit louder. I know that this day is about empowerment, about being proactive, about taking charge of your health, about taking steps to fight breast cancer before it strikes. But it’s also a day when you’re probably thinking about the women who didn’t have such opportunities; the women who had to face a cancer diagnosis, not just their cancer risk.

I’m sure you are thinking about your moms. I just wanted you to know that today I’ll be thinking about  you.

Today marks the beginning of National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week. This is such a important step for women who have a high risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, breast cancer survivors, and anyone striving to find better ways to fight these terrible diseases.

This awareness will help with education, with funding, and with letting high risk women know that they do have options.

For the last three years, I’ve been completely immersed in the world of previvors. I’ve spent hours upon hours listening to the stories of Lisa Marton, Mayde Wiener, Amy Rosenthal, Rori Clark, and Suzanne Citere which were heart-breaking and moving, but also inspirational and uplifting. I’ve attended several FORCE conferences, where I met women who were desperate to learn about their risk and utterly confused about what to do about. I spoken with remarkable women like Sue Friedman and Lindsay Avner who truly have given previvors tremendous resources as well as outlets to share their fears and concerns. (Resources and outlets that, until recently, didn’t exist.) I’ve interviewed dozens of medical experts who said that the options need to get even better for previvors, and their hope that the tide would soon change.

Well, it looks like it just might.

You probably already know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. There are reminders everywhere…stories in the media, breast cancer luncheons, fundraising walks, and pink ribbons at every turn. And I think it’s great that so much attention is paid to this horrible disease. But what most people don’t realize is that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. It seems to get lost in the shuffle.

My blog almost exclusively focuses on health issues, but from time to time I feel compelled to write about something unrelated. And the 9th anniversary of September 11th is one of those topics.

A few days ago, my husband suggested we plan a trip to Orlando this weekend, a quick visit to the Magic Kingdom with the kids (we live 3 hours away by car). I figured we could all use a weekend away from it all (i.e. my computer, which lately I’ve been tethered to), so of course I agreed. He booked the trip, and then I saw the date: We would be in Disney World, waiting in line for  It’s a Small World or the Peter Pan ride,  on the anniversary of the most horrific day I’ve ever lived through (let alone what our country lived through).

In the October issue of Glamour, I wrote an item entitled “Meet the ‘Previvor Generation'” Thank you, Glamour, for helping to get the word out about breast cancer previvors and the issues they face.

For anyone who read the piece and is looking for a quick resource list, here you go:

Resources for Previvors:

FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered): The organization which coined the term “previvor”, FORCE provides a wealth of information and resources for women with a hereditary risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Previvors can connect with other high-risk women via the site’s message board. www.facingourrisk.org

With the release of Previvors just weeks away, a lot of people have been asking me, “So Dina, where did you come up with the idea for this book?” My answer: I didn’t. Three years ago, I was approached by five women living in my community. Knowing that I was a health writer for national magazines, they asked me to write a book for them. They said that they were previvors and that they had all taken steps to lower their risk for breast cancer (and, in one of their cases, ovarian cancer). However, while they had each other to lean on and an organization called FORCE while they dealt with their risk, they didn’t have that one quintessential guidebook that could have helped them through the myriad of emotional and physical issues they faced. That’s why they decided they needed to share their stories with other previvors by creating a book. They needed a professional writer to help them do that, and luckily they decided that person was me.  

In the October issue of Glamour, please check out my article on page 182 entitled “Your Breasts Are Not a Ticking Time Bomb.”  The goal of the article is to tell your average young women that when it comes to their fears about breast cancer, the facts are reassuring. For instance, while it might seem that breast cancer is striking an increasing number of women at younger ages these days, the truth is that the rate of diagnosis among this demographic has remained the same for 25 years. And the piece goes on to dish out the facts regarding three other major breast cancer “myths.”

But I know that previvors view breast cancer much differently than your average young woman. I know that many do view their breasts as ticking time bombs (actually, it’s even the title of one of the chapters in Previvors).

My 6-year-old daughter is excited about the upcoming release of Previvors. I’ve been working on the book since she was 3, and she seems to understand what a big deal it is for me. What’s amazing to me is her take on breast cancer. To her, it’s the subject matter of my book. She doesn’t understand what a terrible disease it is. She doesn’t view it as something horrific, something that millions of women fear.

My daughter has always been curious about my work, and because of her sweet little 6-year-old mind, she thinks whatever I write about must be something positive. So when she sees a pink ribbon, she squeals, “Look Mommy, it’s breast cancer!” And then there was that time when she saw my name on promotional flyer for the book, and she shouted, “That’s my Mommy. The breast cancer girl!”

With breast cancer awareness month right around the corner, you have probably been hearing a lot about what’s known collectively as the “breast cancer gene,” also known as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Here are some of the key things you need to know:

1. All men and women are born with two genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. We receive two copies of each—one from our mothers and one from our fathers.

2. BRCA genes are tumor suppressor genes—their role is control the growth of cells in the breasts and ovaries. If either copy of either gene isn’t working properly—which is the case in about 1/500 people—that person has an increased risk of certain cancers.