Reality Check

Last week Nate and I met with a genetic counselor. I've always had the mindset that "it's not IF it's WHEN" when it comes to cancer due to my family history. My mother's family has been affected by all different types: breast, bone, stomach, leukemia and more.

My aunt was in her early 30's when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy.

My own mother had a double mastectomy when I was in Kindergarten.

My grandmother was diagnosed for the first time with breast cancer when she was 28. She died after fighting breast cancer for the second time in her forties.

I'll be 28 in six months.

Breast cancer is always a health concern for me at every doctors appointment and during every self-exam. I knew that I needed to be proactive - putting some sort of action plan in place for prevention and possible treatment. It was a teary and emotional meeting. How could it not be when you're hearing that having a preventative mastectomy sooner than later is very realistic? Especially after you've just walked a stranger through the many many family members that have been diagnosed, fought and died from this disease in many different forms. I was terrified. I knew that I needed to be tested for the two known genetic strands specifically for breast cancer.

The ray of light? My aunt tested negative for this strand three years ago which means that I should not have these particular genes either.

The reality? Who knows.

So the counseling continues..........