BRCAresponder

"It could save your life," Ryan Seacrest

Thank you Ryan.
Knowing my family history absolutely saved my life. 100%
Amy, BRCAresponder


Basser Center for BRCA
https://youtu.be/1OJCPHZkqZw?feature=shared

"It could save your life"

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1OJCPHZkqZw?feature=shared

Thank you, Ryan Seacrest and Basser Center for BRCA

WHAT IS A PEDIGREE?
⬇️ link
https://thebrcaresponder.blogspot.com/2024/04/what-is-pedigree.html

Cedars-Sinai Cancer’s One-Stop Option Helps BRCA1- and BRCA2-Positive Patients Manage Fertility, Risk

“Our previvor clinic is here to empower people who have tested BRCA1 or BRCA2 positive to make informed choices about their health,” said BJRimel, MD, the gynecological oncologist who oversees the clinic, part of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Cedars-Sinai BJ Rimel

A Clinic for Ovarian Cancer ‘Previvors’ When Elisa Schoenfeld, a child development specialist, learned she had tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation, she knew it raised her risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She and her daughter, Amira, who received similar genetic test results, visited the BRCA Ovarian Previvor Clinic at Cedars-Sinai...

My dear friend and fellow advocate Georgia Hurst writes for CURE Today about navigating life with Lynch syndrome.

"I gladly drink the prep so many people detest — I view it as an enormous privilege, an advantage that so many who had died from before us did not have."

https://www.curetoday.com/view/how-i-navigate-the-lynch-syndrome-labyrinth

How I Navigate the Lynch Syndrome Labyrinth Although many hate drinking the prep for colonoscopies, I view it as a privilege.

Many BRCA positive people rely on & for family planning! If other states issue similar ruling or legislation, clinics nationwide could be vulnerable to lawsuits over frozen embryos; it could hinder access to fertility treatments.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/alabama-supreme-courts-ruling-embryos-matters-rcna139541?cid=sm_fb_maddow&fbclid=IwAR0jWbAst1siKrqrFCPIL_eZHJGzZnFqMPpARrOqC9UM8_stHk8CL6YXmtI

Why the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on embryos matters According to Alabama's Supreme Court, an embryo created through IVF isn’t just a potential person, it’s an actual person. The practical impact matters.

Happy New Year! Are you on top of your health screenings? Preventative Cancer Screenings: Top 5 to Get in 2024
via Healthline.com

Preventative Cancer Screenings: Top 5 to Get in 2024 Health experts recommend prioritizing these five cancer screenings during the new year.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I love this guest blog post from Tawanna St Lewis as she talks about sharing stories at Thanksgiving; that stories strengthen family ties and can inspire changes in those around them and that it's especially important for stories relating to health and illness.

"Many conditions run in families: heart disease, diabetes, mental illness, cancer, infertility, and more...Sharing medical history could be lifesaving for family members and could improve quality of life."

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

Before gathering with extended family this week, find out what questions you should ask about health history—and how doing so could be lifesaving—with guest author Tawanna St. Lewis, MS, CGC.
https://hubs.ly/Q029v74W0

Last night, I attended a very inspirational evening, benefitting Sharsheret. They do wonderful work providing support and resources surrounding breast and ovarian cancer. Check out Sharsheret

In my experience as an advocate, most people don't have any idea that men can also get breast cancer.

"Male breast cancer accounts for about 1% of all breast cancers. Although rare, it is often detected later and may cause the cancer to become further progressed and more fatal. Breast cancer in men has the same causes as for women, higher levels of estrogen, family history, genetics, lifestyle or other exposures. Genetics and the mutation of specific genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase the risk. Symptoms of breast cancer in men can be a change or inversion to the ni**le, dimpling of the skin, redness, itching of the ni**le as well as any type of discharge from the ni**le. Breast cancer that has metastasized (spread) to the bones may also produce bone pain at the sites and like other cancers symptoms can include weight loss and weakness."

Posted •
October awareness isn’t all pink! Learn more at hisbreastcancer.org

Today, October 23rd is the last day of male breast cancer awareness week. Breast cancer is not just a female disease. Learn more HIS Breast Cancer Awareness

Male Breast Cancer Support Organization - HIS Breast Cancer Awareness | HISbreastcancer.org Male breast cancer awareness, information and support from HIS Breast Cancer. Non-profit for insight, education, awareness, and support on male breast cancer and hereditary cancers in men. Male breast cancer resource for symptoms, lump, causes, signs, risk, survival, and genetics.

Humbled and honored that I will be sitting alongside these incredible women next week.



Baptist Health Baptist Health Cancer Care

As we enter , review the following criteria to see if you are eligible for genetic testing based on a personal or family history of . Consult with a genetic counselor to assess your risk and facilitate genetic testing. Your results could guide treatment decisions, inform cancer risks, and advise testing for other family members.

Reposted

Posted • Breast Cancer Action coined the term pinkwashing in 2002. And for over 20 years, our community of passionate activists has joined us in calling out the profiteering and empty awareness that takes place during Breast Cancer “Awareness Month,” that does little more than line corporate pockets.

Too many of our community members have lost loved ones to this disease, are in treatment themselves, or caring for another who’s in treatment. And so many of us continue to live in polluted neighborhoods and environments awash in toxic chemicals that now have seeped into our food, water, and air. Pink ribbons don’t help.

There’s still so much to be done, if we’re going to put an end to this public health crisis.

Join us in our annual Think Before You Pink campaign to go beyond awareness – and into ACTION. You can learn more and get involved with the link in our bio.

My BRCA/Hereditary Cancer BOOK LIST on bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/brca-hereditary-cancer-book-list

Bookshop

Posted • LADY - The Film Today, September 27th, is National Previvor Day.
Lead actress Devin Sidell and producer Amy Byer Shainman are both previvors. A previvor is an individual who has an increased risk of developing cancer due to a genetic mutation or family history; a previvor has not received a diagnosis of cancer.

sidell

Author and BRCA advocate Amy Byer Shainman will be giving away 10 books to Ambry followers on Previvor Day (9/27).
Stay tuned for a chance to win one for your collection or student library. BRCAresponder

It's a time to honor those with an increased risk of cancer and an opportunity to raise awareness about hereditary cancer.
So...
-Tag someone you want to honor
-Share a bit of your story
-Share this post
-If you are a certified genetic counselor, please share some evidence-based information or some words of wisdom

I'll start! Honoring wonderful friends, a couple of my rock star doctors, and some amazing people who continue to inspire me:
EMPOWERink_Canada Lisa Marie Guzzardi My Gene Counsel Ellen T. Matloff My Faulty Gene BRCAStrong Charlotte Wilkerson Bourque Georgia Hurst WendyCThompson Lori Goldman Reddy
Sarah Kivel Christine Steel Allysa Friedman Devin Sidell Alan Michael Blassberg Stephanie Swartz Photography Frank Bruno John A.P. Rimmer M.D.

There are over 50 hereditary cancer syndromes. If you are concerned you may have an increased risk of developing certain cancers, please contact a certified genetic counselor by phone or in person. National Society of Genetic Counselors findageneticcounselor.com

Please reach out to me if you need help finding one.

, , , , , and others

It's Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Do you or a loved one have a diagnosis of ? Have you wondered about ? A genetic counselor can help you determine if you or your loved one are candidates for genetic testing. Go to findageneticcounselor.com to find a genetic counselor near you or by phone.

Please reach out to me if you need help finding one.
XO Amy BRCAresponder


My Gene Counsel

Do you or a loved one have a diagnosis of ? Have you wondered about ? A genetic counselor can help you determine if you or your loved one are candidates for genetic testing.

Looking for a hereditary cancer
BOOK or MOVIE?
tinyurl.com/BRCAbooks

Goodreads Book Giveaway!
(25 copies)
Sep. 7 - Sep. 30, 2023

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/373944-resurrection-lily-the-brca-gene-hereditary-cancer-lifesaving-whisper

Book giveaway for Resurrection Lily: The BRCA Gene, Hereditary Cancer & Lifesaving Whispers from the Grandmother I Never Knew by Amy Byer Shainman Sep 07-Sep 30, 2023 Enter to win one of 25 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Sep 07-Sep 30, 2023. Giving away 25 copies for National Hereditary Cancer Week 9/24-9/3...

The Foundation For Women's Cancer Foundation for Women's Cancer is a fantastic resource. Learn or share the knowledge about gynecologic cancer symptoms, risk factors, prevention and early detection — because every five minutes, someone will be diagnosed with one of these cancers.

For clickable facts about these cancers, go to my blog: https://thebrcaresponder.blogspot.com/2023/09/gynecologic-cancer-awareness-month-gcam.html

LADY - The Film

Wonderful piece by Georgia Hurst for CURE Today.

Navigating Loss, Toxicity and Liberation: My Experience with Lynch Syndrome Once a friendship turned toxic, I had to put myself first.

Scientists discover evidence of 4 more breast cancer genes.
The four genes found are called MAP3K1, LZTR1, SAMHD1 and CDKN2A.

The research, which was published in the journal Nature Genetics, compared the genes of more than 217,000 healthy women to those of more than 26,000 cancer patients.

Although it is uncommon, they believe that such an error in the MAP3K1 gene could increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer by a factor of five.

The discovery suggests that future blood tests used to assess the hereditary risk of breast cancer may detect women who would have been ignored in the past.

Before the information is used in clinical settings, further research is needed to better illuminate the cancer risk associated with variants on each genes, to study associated tumors, and to understand how genetics combine with lifestyle factors to fuel risk.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-023-01466-z?fbclid=IwAR3FMjA5ge3OF7k8Uh5ymSeSNMYw05_WqhyUBRXKmrcvQdTsXw_jcsLznQs

Exome sequencing identifies breast cancer susceptibility genes and defines the contribution of coding variants to breast cancer risk - Nature Genetics Meta-analysis of three large whole-exome sequencing datasets highlights protein-truncating and rare missense variants associated with breast cancer susceptibility.

"Experts say that millions of people in the U.S. are walking around with a genetic variant [mutation] that raises their risk of developing cancer. The vast majority of them have no clue."
via Nell Greenfieldboyce

https://npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/08/02/1191419631/cancer-risk-test-genetic-genes-inexpensive-why-dont-more-people-get-tested

Testing your genes for cancer risk is way cheaper now — and it could save your life Millions of people in the U.S. have a genetic variant that raises their risk of cancer. Genetic testing can help people find cancer earlier and seek treatment. But many patients aren't offered it.

"I am talking about this not to scare you, but to raise awareness so maybe you can be tested & identify a or other genetic mutation earlier. I would have gotten screened more regularly. With an alternating with my . MRI's pickup cancers mammograms miss." Jill Martin

https://www.today.com/video/jill-martin-reveals-breast-cancer-diagnosis-urges-genetic-testing-188606533994 Today Show

Jill Martin reveals breast cancer diagnosis, urges genetic testing TODAY contributor Jill Martin opens up about being diagnosed with breast cancer six weeks ago after going in for scans to get preventative surgery. She’s joined by Dr. Elisa Port to explain the importance of genetic testing and why identifying the BRCA gene or other mutations early is key.