We’ve known for some time that prophylactic mastectomies and oophorectomies (the removal of healthy breast tissue and healthy ovaries) can drastically reduce a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer. However, a brand new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that women with BRCA mutations are also more likely to live longer if they have their ovaries removed than women with BRCA mutations who don’t. The study also confirmed that prophylactic mastectomies drastically lower breast cancer risk.
Lisa, Mayde, Amy, Rori, and Suzanne do a great job telling snippets of their stories in our book trailer. Get a sense of these women whose stories I feature in Previvors, and see pictures of the people in their lives that inspired their decisions.
With the upcoming release of my book, Previvors, I know that I, let alone the women featured in the book, will likely receive some criticism (something all book authors have to brace themselves for, I guess.) And I know that while most people will applaud previvors for taking steps to defy their fate, others will wholeheartedly attack them. Women who choose to have prophylactic mastectomies for instance, often hear that their decision is “radical” and that they are “mutilating their bodies” or suffering severe cases of hypochondria. One person on a message board said that removing healthy breasts is “a slap in the face to women who actually have breast cancer.”
While researching and writing Previvors these past few years, I’ve come across quite a few other books that truly complement my own. For instance, Jessica Queller’s Pretty is What Changes is a thoughtful, insightful account of one woman’s experience with hereditary breast cancer. I couldn’t put it down.
More recently, I came across Amy Boesky’s What We Have which also gives a first-person account of her family’s long history with cancer. Boesky, a literary professor at Boston College, tells her story with eloquence and grace. The book is poignant and powerful, humorous at times and heart-breaking at others. I encourage previvors everywhere (let alone anyone looking for a excellent read) to pick up a copy.
While working on my book, I was fortunate to meet many inspirational previvors, medical experts, and breast cancer activists. Brilliant, dedicated men and women who spend their time trying to figure out ways to fight cancer before it strikes. One of the people who stands out is a young woman named Lindsay Avner. Only in her 20s, Lindsay has helped educate countless women who are at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer through her national non-profit organization, Bright Pink.
Being a health writer, I’m always hearing about the latest in nutrition, exercise, disease prevention, what have you. And I often take the info I’ve learned and try to infuse it into my family’s life as well. However, recently I took a step to greatly improve my family’s health, and I had no idea I was doing so at the time. You see, just a few months ago, my husband and I finally decided to add a dog to our family. We had both grown up with dogs, and we wanted to care for one on our own.
Yesterday, the five previvors featured in my book and I spoke at the Power of Pink event in Boca Raton. More than 400 women (and a few men) attended and, thanks to the organization’s co-chairs Joy and Kim, the day was a great success.
As I sat up on stage listening to the five women tell their stories…stories which I have been listening to and writing about for more than two years…I was struck by how moved I was. I realized that I could hear their stories hundreds of times, and I’ll never stop welling up when they talk about their mothers’ battles with cancer. I’ll never stop being amazed by these five women’s bravery. I’ll never stop being inspired by their passion to help other women living with a high risk for breast and/or ovarian cancer. And I will always be thankful that Lisa, Mayde, Amy, Rori, and Suzanne gave me the tremendous honor of writing about their personal experiences in our book Previvors. I am very grateful that these five women are in my life.
What is a previvor? A previvor is a person who has not had cancer but has a predisposition to develop it. In other words, a previvor is a person who has not had cancer but has higher than average odds of getting it because of certain risk factors. Previvors face difficult decisions regarding how to fight their risk, if at all. These men and women often take proactive steps and turn their fear into empowerment.
On April 27th, I and the women featured in my book, Previvors: Facing the Breast Cancer Gene and Making Life-Changing Decisions will be speaking at the 2nd Annual Power of Pink event in Boca Raton, Florida. Of course, I’m honored for the opportunity.
