Thursday, October 24, 2019

Living with BRCA - National Previvor Day

National Previvor Day 

Okay, I must confess, I had not heard of National Previvor Day and had to Google it.

"Cancer previvors are individuals who are survivors of a predisposition to cancer but who haven't had the disease. This group includes people who carry a hereditary mutation, a family history of cancer, or some other predisposing factor."
 
October 2nd was designated as the National Previvor Day this year.

By the above definition, I am a previvor.

I have chosen to eliminate the probability of being diagnosed with breast cancer by having a prophylactic bi-lateral mastectomy. In other words, surgeons will remove the breast tissue from both sides of my chest in a few days. Believe me, it was not an easy decision to make.

On one hand, there's nothing indicating a cancer diagnoses is imminent. However, I did develop gynecomastia last year and have had to take hormones to shrink the masses to reduce the pain. In addition, my daughter, my mom, and 2 of my sisters have been diagnosed with breast/reproductive cancer.

So ultimately the decision was based on probability not possibility. Knowing that I am 8 times more likely of being diagnosed with cancer, and factoring my immediate family’s history, and my current condition, yeah, it was an easy decision.

I’m looking forward to next year’s national Previvor day.

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