My mom is 79 years old and is the youngest of 9 siblings, the only one still living. There were a couple aunt/uncle/cousin relationships that were close when I was growing up, but mostly I lost contact with them on a regular basis 30+ years ago when I left for college, got married and moved from my hometown. But since none of her siblings are living, I contacted several cousins to try and piece together what information I could.
I was always aware that my mom had a sister who died young (at about 34-35) of lung cancer ... but I recently found out that she also had breast cancer. I was a newborn when she died and it was so long ago that I guess I just never knew the full details of the story. So there's one hash mark on the breast cancer family history list.
That aunt's daughter is close to my age, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer about 10 years ago. Her case sounds very similar to mine as far as diagnosis. She had a rough time with treatments, surgery and radiation ... but is now recovered, doing well, and celebrating being a 10 year survivor. Another hash mark in the breast cancer family history column, but a positive outcome for treatment and survival.
I have not been able to track down any further confirmed cases of breast cancer on my mom's side, but there was one other cousin who died young "of cancer" and I'm not positive of her diagnosis.
Another of my mom's sisters had uterine cancer, so put another mark in the "female cancer" family list.
Out of 9 siblings, 2 had cancer ... and only 2 of their children. Oh, I guess 3 counting me. How could I forget.
My cousin who battled breast cancer 10 years ago did test positive for the cancer gene mutation (BRCA). This relates to the DNA testing I wrote about a couple of posts ago after a conversation with my doctor. The DNA testing can tell me whether or not I have the gene mutation present in my body. It's really pretty interesting genetic testing and information if you have time to read ... http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
I'm going in for my first genetic counseling interview on Monday afternoon after my regular weekly bloodwork to get the process started. After completing a health questionnaire, the genetic clinic will turn the risk assessment over to my insurance company for a determination as to whether or not they will cover the approximately $4,000 DNA testing and analysis. Coverage is automatic before your're 50, but since I've passed the magic milestone, the insurance company gets to approve or deny. So once we have a determination, we know better our path of moving forward with approval, or deciding to move forward or not if we have to pay the full cost. Test results take about 2-3 weeks, so getting started now means I would not have results until close to the end of August. If I were found to test positive for the BRCA gene mutation, it would have an impact on my October surgery recommendation (double mastectomy versus single).
So I was able to gather a little information on my mom's side of the family and learn about the gene mutation found in a family member ... but I still know zero family history from my dad's side since he was adopted at birth. His mother died after childbirth, and he and a twin brother were adopted by a distant family member who cut off all communication with his closest relatives due to a disagreement in the family about who was adopting the twins. So I have no information on my biological grandmother or grandfather, or their extended families.Put that hash mark in the "who knows" family history category!
Tuesday is chemo #13 of 16 ... soon to be over 80% finished with chemo and moving ahead to the next phase, surgery and recovery.
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