Nobody should suffer and die of a preventable cancer. And no family should have to watch helplessly as a beautiful life is cruelly consumed by an avoidable disease and then have to bear the nearly unbearable grief of that loss for the rest of their lives.
On a summer evening in June 2021, I embraced Donna, my beautiful wife of 40 years,
as she took her last breath. Having the love of your life die in your
arms from cancer is not romantic. It is one of the most unimaginably
awful, painful and traumatic events anyone should have to endure. It is
having to bear the unbearable.
That's why I have become a hereditary cancer awareness and prevention advocate.
Because my wife died an untimely horrible and needless death, and because our daughter inherited the same BRCA2 mutation that I now know is so prevalent in her mom's family, I'm speaking up. I'm making it a personal mission to help prevent others from suffering like my wife did.
Breaking the cycle of hereditary cancer in families takes a determined effort and courage.
If
you find you have a mutation, please talk to your family and share
what could be life-saving information. And sharing specific information is vital. Without
exact gene mutation information, doctors can be unsure of what to test
for, and insurance companies are likely to deny requests for testing. With BRCA mutations alone, there are almost 5,000 pathogenic (cancer risk) variants and tens of thousands more variants that are yet to be reviewed.
Immediately,
openly, emphatically, and persistently sharing any inherited genetic
threats you might become aware of with all those who might share DNA
could save a precious life. Sit down with parents, brothers, sisters,
adult children, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins -- all of
them need to know.
Hereditary cancer can strike at any age.
However, there are many options for prevention and life-saving early
detection of cancer if information gets shared. So, show up and speak
up! With love, empathy, thoughtfulness, fierce compassion, and courage,
nobody has to suffer and die of a preventable cancer!
Learn more about inherited genetic mutations and hereditary cancer at my website, www.genetionary.org.
