06/24/2024
This post has been 8+ years in the making š„¹ā¤ļø
I started using this platform almost a decade ago to document my journey as a young woman with the BRCA-1 gene mutationā an inherited mutation to our ātumor suppressing genesā, making me up to 85% more susceptible to developing breast and ovarian cancer in my lifetime.
After losing my mom to ovarian cancer at 19, I promised to make the appointments, do the scans, and be on the right side of the statistics. And since 28 years old, Iāve done just that.
Mammograms, MRIs, ultrasounds, cancer scares, biopsies, waiting for results every 6 months for 8 long, mentally exhausting years.
And I finally got my last *all clear* scan last week & approval to finally close this chapterā Iāll be having an elective double mastectomy in September šš»š
Drastic? Maybe.
Unnecessary? Could be.
Trust me, Iāve heard it all already.
But Iāve held my momās hand while she took her last breath when she was just 9 years older than me, & Iāll be damned if I donāt do everything to keep my kids from experiencing that kind of lifelong pain.
She wouldāve too š
I remember every moment of this journey vividly. The initial call with the gene testing results. The first time I felt a lump that left me sobbing in the shower. 12 weeks pregnant with my son hearing things like ātreatmentā & ādecide what to do about the pregnancyā from my first real scare (and a really tactless radiologist). Crying in my doctorās arms in the hospital parking lot last summer when they saw something in both breasts that day.
Iām tired.
Although the hardest part of this is still ahead for me, I have never been more ready to turn the damn page.
Yes, my plan is to take you with me while I navigate all thisā how in-depth and comfortable I am/what level of sharing is TBD. My hope has always been to find a reason for all this & sharing my experiences and helping others feel less alone has been so healing ā¤ļø
To my people: thank you for being here. The love, support, & positivity when I couldnāt muster anymore. You have no idea what youāve done for me š„¹
Now itās time to do this for myself.
Because Iām ready to have my life back.
Letās. Freaking. Go. šš»
