When I first started this blog over two years ago, it was a way I could express my feelings while my "baby" sister (she HATES it when I call her that :)) Missy was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It's been quite a journey and she has done so well with everything being thrown at her. Today she was going in to discuss genetic testing, something she's been thinking about for two years. From the start we were all interested in it, but none of our insurances would cover it and it's like $3,000. So now, 2 years later, Missy has insurance that will cover it, YAY!!
Now my thinking on this has been I definately want Missy to get tested, to know for herself if she has a higher percentage of having more cancer in her lifespan being she got it so young. Also she has insurance that will cover the procedure to have the other breast removed. Then comes the issue of the ovaries, ovarian cancer is so strongly linked to breast cancer, when the mutated gene comes into play you just want to have the plumbing removed!!! Missy is just 25 years old, so young to be thinking of such things, especially when she and Ed may want to have children at some point.
At her appointment today (total fluke I went with her, mom is laid up in the hospital with kidney stones), we found out quite a bit of info. We already knew that if mom has the mutated gene each of her children have a 50/50 chance of carrying the mutated gene. Then if we ourselves have the mutated gene our children have the same 50/50 chance of having the mutated gene.
BELLA......my sweet Bella.....I would just die if I have the damn mutated gene and passed it on to her. This gene gives us up to an 87% chance of having breast cancer in our lifetime, and up to 57% chance of having ovarian cancer in our lifetime. It a double edged sword, especially when I have insurance that won't cover anything unless I actually have cancer.
The good thing, if Missy DOES have the mutated gene and Mindy and I want to be tested then it will be only $300 because they will know what gene they are looking for since our sister already has it. So yes, I could find out, and again just sit and wait for the damn cancer to show up.
I want my "baby" sister to have all of the information she could possibly get to know what she may or may not have to battle in this lifetime.
Cancer - I HATE you C word....
1 comment:
seriously, I hate it too.
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