DISCLAIMER: The following post outlines the writer’s personal experience with breast health. It is not intended to act as medical advice. As always, please consult your doctor with any questions about breast health.
I was 19 when my mom died of ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and it was everywhere. There had been signs, symptoms passed off as other things, missed diagnoses . . . and then it was too late. She spent 18 months fighting and in the end it took her.
As it does, life moved on but it always gnawed at me–what if it had been caught sooner? What if someone had believed her that something was not right? As I graduated from MSU and began adult life as a teacher, I started doing my own research and came across something called the BRCA gene. (Keep in mind this was over 15 years ago and though many people know what it is now, they did not back then.)
As I researched I realized our family history met a lot of the check boxes necessary for testing, including several maternal relatives who had died of cancer, I have Ashkenazi Jewish lineage, and my mother’s diagnosis in her forties. I decided to pursue genetic testing.
15 Years of Watching + Waiting
I went to the Beaumont genetic center and was one of their first patients. The test was simple–just bloodwork–but I was warned of the mental load. If it was positive, would I feel like a black cloud was hanging over me? Would I feel like a ticking time bomb? In the end I went through with the testing and the results came back positive for the BRCA 1 Genetic Mutation. Though this meant I was at high risk for ovarian and breast cancer, I oddly felt empowered. I could get screened, I could get tested, and I could take back some of the control my mom did not have.
I spent the next 15 or so years getting screened. This included pelvic ultrasounds, mammograms, MRIs, CA125 blood tests, and even some very scary biopsies. I spent years dreading any phone call from a doctor or the hospital after a test hoping for “no news is good news.” I tried to remind myself this is why I go, this is why I do this: so that I can survive when my mom did not.
Found Because I Was Proactive
Then one day, the news was not what I wanted. In fact, it was my worst nightmare come to fruition. At age 39, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had had a clean mammogram six months prior. My cancer was found on one of my standard MRI screenings and confirmed through a needle guided biopsy. I had no symptoms and no suspicions I had cancer, but sticking to my screening regimen meant that my cancer was caught at stage zero with a positive prognosis for survival.
I had a double mastectomy in January 2024, turned 40 in May 2024, had my first reconstruction surgery in June 2024, and my second this past June. In total I have had five surgeries including a risk-reducing total hysterectomy. I was overwhelmed and felt my body had betrayed me.
I now have a team of doctors including an oncologist (scariest sounding doctor and the scariest appointments). However, I have come to realize that even though having an oncologist sounds scary, their amazing care, support, and guidance have been crucial in my journey. This team is the reason I went back for more genetic testing. It turns out the BRCA gene also puts me at high risk for skin cancer and pancreatic cancer, as well as a new gene mutation for colon cancer.
Get Screened, Save Your Life
This isn’t something the science knew when I was first tested 15 years ago. My new team of doctors means I am always being cared for and know my health is in good hands. I have learned take it one deep breath at a time and let my body and mind recover.
It was a lot. It still is a lot. And it will always be a lot. But . . . I’m here and cancer-free. I did not have to have chemo or radiation because it was caught so early. All of the testing and screenings and appointments were worth it. All the years spent convincing hospitals and insurance companies that I was not in fact too young to be screened were worth it. It was all worth it because mine was caught and I survived. I think my mom would be proud of me, that I fought for my health and was my own best advocate.
So be proactive and brave. It can save your life. Get screened. It can save your life. Make that scary phone call to your doctor. It can save your life. Look at your family history and get genetic testing. It can save your life. I want every woman to be able to say I caught it in time and it saved my life.
–Guest submission by Kelli Kowalczyk
