Saturday, April 2

Quote of the Day:  Champions in any field have made a habit of doing what others find boring or uncomfortable.  Author Unknown.

Today we are in Park City enjoying the beautiful weather.  Maggie and I watched the sun come over the mountain just east of our place.  Later, we saw a girl cross-country skiing in shorts.  Maggie loves it here at the condo.  She was quick to realize that the condo means family members come and stay over-night, a whole bunch of altogetherness, hot-tubing, popcorn and hot chocolate.  Life could not get better!

Last week, I had the pleasure of a visit from Jennifer Merkley.  She lives in a nearby neighborhood and was diagnosed w/ Triple Negative Breast Cancer last August.  I remarked to Joe that everyone I know who has this breast cancer doesn’t fit the “profile”.  They’re thin, had children- 3 or more when they were young, takes care of their bodies and are caucasian. Note:  Triple Negative is mostly found in African-American women.   Jennifer did genetic testing because her mother and grandmother both had cancer.  She tested positive for either the BRCA1 or 2 Genes.  Here’s some information about these genes:

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes that belong to a class of genes known as tumor suppressors.

In normal cells, BRCA1 and BRCA2 help ensure the stability of the cell’s genetic material (DNA) and help prevent uncontrolled cell growth. Mutation of these genes has been linked to the development of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

The names BRCA1 and BRCA2 stand for breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 and breast cancer susceptibility gene 2, respectively.

When someone knows they have this gene, they have to make the difficult decision of whether to have almost all of the things that make them female removed.  This seems like such a cruel reality.   Full mastectomy and hysterectomy.  I’ve thought a lot about how breast cancer makes you feel robbed of femininity.  All of these private parts get cut into, slashed at and removed.  And if that wasn’t enough, you get to lose your hair.   Hair is a big deal to a girl-  as is evidenced in the movie Tangled.  Men love hair, women work to grow their hair long and flowing, and think of the time each day women spend in trying to get a “good hair day”, not to mention the money.

My sister, Lynne, tested negative for the BRCA genes.  When we first talked to the doctors and they knew I had a sister who had breast cancer, they suspected a familial link.  After learning that Lynne tested negative, they thought that I probably wouldn’t test negative also.  But, after talking to Jennifer, I am going to do the genetic testing.  I think it will either explain some things or make me feel relieved that I haven’t passed this scary gene on.  Both my parents are still alive and healthy.  Neither my mother or her sisters have had cancer.  My maternal Grandparents never had cancer.  My father has never had cancer but he is an only child (he did have some half-siblings-but I don’t know their health history) so it would be his line perhaps that would be more suspect.   His father died of a brain tumor in his late 40s (but brain cancer is not hereditary) and his mother never had cancer.

Jennifer is a great resource.  She brought over peppermint life-savers that really help w/ the metal taste in the mouth due to chemo.  She suggested  a doctor who works w/ lymph node removal and since I really want my arm back to full usage, I will make an appointment.  It’s so great to talk to someone who has been through this and come out smiling.  She is bright,happy and strong.

Sunny day last week in Salt Lake,  I wore my hair w/ natural curl today.    Maggie in hot tub @ Park City