WE ARE BRIGHT PINK

Sara
"Breast cancer" has been in my vocabulary since I can remember. My mother had been my grandmother's caretaker as she lay dying of breast and ovarian cancer and there is a long line of women in my family who have battled cancer; some have been successful, some have not. My mother tested positive for the BRCA2 mutation at a time in my life where I was struggling with secondary infertility. I decided I could only fight one battle and the infertility battle was the one I was going to focus on. My daughter was not yet a year old when I started revisiting the idea of the genetic testing. In that time, my older sister had tested negative. I decided the fall before my 30th birthday that I truly needed to take the test as I had a cousin who was 31 when diagnosed. I knew before I ever had my blood drawn what I choice I would make if it came back positive. And, call it intuition, I knew it was coming back positive.

Although my genetic counselor tried to assure me that I did not need to do anything but regular screening, I assured her, I knew I wanted the prophylactic mastectomy. Living in fear of cancer was something I had already done. Knowing my chances were so great, I wanted to do whatever I could to fight those odds. I am blessed to have an understanding and supportive husband who told me no matter what my decision, he would stand behind me. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the right decision for me and my family.

I was immediately scheduled for an MRI, mammogram (my first and only!), vaginal ultrasound, and the CA125. My surgeons wanted to be sure there was no cancer already present. My MRI showed a shadow which meant I then had a follow-up ultrasound. Thankfully, it came back clear but those three days of waiting to have the ultrasound confirmed any doubts I had about the decision I had already made. After much arguing with my insurance company (I am SO thankful for my oncologist, referred to by many as a bulldog, and her assistant who fought those battles for me), I had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with the expanders put in at the same time on January 18, 2007.

Since prophylactic mastectomies were not well publicized at that time, I had difficulty finding information about other young women who were choosing to do this. I knew they existed because my doctors told me they did...but I could not find them. It was a dark period...I did not know what to expect when I came out of surgery and I didn't know how to handle those around me who thought I was crazy for doing this. It got to the point where I no longer told anyone…or talked to anyone about it. I hated to hear myself talk out loud about it and I could not deal with people's judgments regarding a situation they could not understand. I was still reserved after my surgery and uncomfortable discussing it with anyone other than my family. However, after being urged by my doctors, I began to become more open and vocal about what I had gone through. Now, I share my story every chance I get. It is AMAZING to me the number of women I have met since I had my procedure who are either going through testing themselves or have someone they know being tested.

What do I love about Bright Pink? It is a place to receive information and support - a place to see the faces of other women who have gone through or are going through the same journey. Each journey is unique and the decisions made very personal but the need for support is universal. I love that Bright Pink seeks to educate others. I found Bright Pink shortly after my mastectomy and I have been so grateful for the information and the reassurance that there are others out there. I point people to it constantly! I have never regretted my decision and am thankful for the opportunity I had to be proactive rather than reactive. Being able to share my story and support other women deciding whether or not to be tested or dealing with a positive result has blessed me. It allows me to see the higher purpose to my journey and if my story helps one woman have the courage to be proactive about her health, it makes my experience purposeful.