"I feel very lucky to live in a community where exceptional cancer care is available so close to home."
I remember the day I found out I had the breast cancer gene. I was only 33 years old and I felt like I had a ticking timebomb inside my body.
You see, just a few months prior to that, my sisters and I watched our mother pass away suddenly from a very severe case of breast cancer. And she had watched her own mother get sick and die from cancer before that.
When my mother was in the hospital in Newfoundland, she asked doctors to have her blood tested for certain genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. You see, having these genes means an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer – a 69% chance of having breast cancer and an elevated chance of ovarian cancer.
After my mom died, we were all tested. My blood work was done at my local Hospital, Lakeridge Health. Within two weeks, they called to say that yes, I had the BRCA2 gene. My sisters did too.
It was hard news to hear. But at least it meant that we could make some important decisions and change our future.
I decided to change my fate and have a mastectomy, reconstruction and a hysterectomy under the wonderful care of Dr. Ford at Lakeridge Health. I did it for myself, my husband, my sons, my sisters, my dad and my mom too – because I know she would have done the same if she had the choice before it was too late.
The team at Lakeridge Health were with me every step of the way during my surgeries. I had the same high quality care I had come to expect from years ago when I gave birth to my two boys at the Hospital.
I feel very lucky to live in a community where exceptional cancer care, from prevention to treatment, is available so close to home.
