TO BE OR NOT TO BE . . .

Life is filled with choices and with each choice comes a consequence.
In 2011 when I was diagnosed with the BRCA 1 gene, I couldn't wait for my family to get tested to help prevent them from getting cancer. Needless to say I was shocked when most of my sisters didn't want to get the test.

WTH?

Yes, I was angry with them. Confused, and finally just plain sad. Here I was fighting for my life, my body mutilated by this ugly beast called CANCER, and my sister's didn't want to SAVE their futures, from this disease? Not only were they denying themselves the chance to beat breast cancer and ovarian cancer, but they were closing a door to their children's futures.

Because the BRCA gene is an inherited mutated gene. A child has a 50/50 percent chance of having inherited it from the parent that carries that gene.

Damn, aren't I lucky? I CAN'T win the lottery, but I can sure as heck can get BRCA.

To be or not to be informed just didn't make sense to me. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER PEOPLE! So it took me a long time to come to terms with their choices. I had to remember that we ALL have free will. My desires and choices were just that--my choice not theirs, and while I will always have to fight medical insurance's on a disease that I once had, my sister's were facing obstacle's I hadn't considered.
IF they had the BRCA, they could be denied medical insurance simply because their bodies could potentially become a walking time bomb.  

Fast forward four years. My sister's and my mom have all been tested now. Only two of my sister's have the BRCA gene. One of them went in and had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Her girl's look freaking amazing! (Yes, I've seen them...and I'm jealous as hell, 'cause her's look perfectly normal.) My other sister has opted to go in every 6 months and have a mammogram and MRI.
But the biggest blessing out of all of this, is that they can be open with their children and help be aware of options. I learned that the BRCA came from my dad, and we have been able to reach out and talk to extended family on my dad's side of the family we didn't even know we were related to. But in the end, it always comes down to choices. If we choose to be or not to be informed of those choices, and then to act on those choices.