We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is that I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian(卵巢的) cancer.
My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.
Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.
On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work. But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find the way out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.
My own process began on February 2. The operation took eight hours. Then I woke up with tubes in my breasts. It did feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery I can be back to a normal life. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.
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