A "Little" Family History

I have a pretty large family. 5 siblings, lots of aunts and uncles, too many cousins to count, and a handful of beautiful nephews and nieces, even a grand niece! My immediate family has been extremely fortunate in that we lead fairly uneventful lives. No major health scares, no real tragedies. To be honest, it sort of makes you feel like you're in a bubble. Where these terrible things happen to other people outside the bubble and you shake your head and feel sorry for them but naively think "that won't happen to us."

 In 2006, things changed for us. My middle sister L felt a lump in her breast. She went in for a biopsy. We weren't worried. She was 32. Women don't get breast cancer till their 50's, maybe 40's, but certainly not 30's. The biopsy came back negative and the doctor told my sister that she could have it removed if she wanted but she didn't need to since it was benign. L decided to have a lumpectomy and remove it. She told us "It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't belong there." Her lumpectomy procedure came and went. A couple weeks later I get a call from my eldest sister G: the lump had been tested when it was removed and it came back positive this time. L had breast cancer.

The bubble burst...

L went through chemotherapy and radiation and thank God she's now a 6 year survivor. She made it look easy, but I know it wasn't. L is just that kind of person. When life knocks her down, she gets back up and she never complains. She's inspiring. There's never a moment I'm not proud to be her little sister.

Years later, L's OBGYN suggested she be tested for the BRCA gene mutation. While doing our annual Avon Breast Cancer Walk, she gave me the bad news. She had tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene mutation. She would be opting for a prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy.

This is where my story starts...