To BRCA or not To BRCA

Many of you may have learned about the Breast cancer gene (BRCA) breast-BR/cancer-CA, through the public announcement by my favorite actress, Angelina Jolie. She got an expensive gene test and it was determined that she had the gene mutation of BRCA3 which significantly increased her chances of developing breast cancer, or ovarian cancer one day. Since her mother died of ovarian cancer, Angelina educated herself, got tested, and took what some may think was an extreme measure, but I'm sure with her lifestyle and financial position, she made the right decision.

Because breast cancer took my sister's life in 2008, and the year before that, my mother had a mastectomy to treat her battle with breast cancer, something genetically odd is going on in my immediate family and I'm in a preventative health program to determine my chances of developing breast cancer. I have a clean bill of health at the moment, but further tests need to be made and I have already asked my mom to talk to her doctor about having a DNA test to see if she has BRCA3 gene. If she does, my preventative health program will go into a different direction to decrease my chances of being afflicted. I hope this is not the case, but I'm not going to wring my hands over it. I've taken a huge step by getting involved in this health program already. However, if my mother tests negative for BRCA3 gene, I'm in the clear of further preventative testing and monitoring and my chances of getting breast cancer will be in the 'normal' range like the general population.

A few things are indeed on my side: I'm of normal/healthy weight, I don't drink or smoke, don't do illegal drugs, and I exercise religiously -  I have a non-red meat diet and drink green tea daily. All of these lifestyle choices help me keep my chances of developing cancer at lower levels, so I'm on the right track. I personally think that my mother will test positive for the breast cancer gene, and I'm prepared to take the health measures to prevent developing cancer.