I hung up the phone with my gynecologist armed with a prescription for a breast MRI and the names/phone numbers of gynecologic oncologists. The breast MRI would be delayed. Why?  I had received my second COVID vaccine literally two days before I received the news of my BRCA status.  Why is that relevant?  Radiologists and […]

So I took the test.  It was very simple.  The genetic counselor sent me a test kit.  I spit into a test tube and sent it back to the testing company.  Then I waited. The genetic counselor told me it would take 2-3 weeks for the results to come in, and she would call me […]

After coming to the conclusion that I was at risk for carrying a BRCA mutation, I scheduled an appointment with the genetic counselor at Columbia Presbyterian who did my father’s testing.  Before the appointment, however, I had a lot of paperwork to complete.  First, I sent in the genetic testing results from my cousin Cheryl […]

In March 2021 I contacted a genetic counselor to discuss getting tested.  What made me schedule that appointment? The fact is, I should have done this a few years ago.  If I had been paying attention, I would have.  But I wasn’t.  Missed Opportunity In 2017, Dad took part in a genetic study through Columbia-Presbyterian.  […]

A Lesson in Genealogy and Family History Since a BRCA mutation ultimately comes down to genetics, this blog entry will explore how I came to inherit this mutation, and why I didn’t know about it until now. I inherited the mutation from my father.  Dad has never had cancer.  Dad has 2 brothers.  Neither has/had […]

The name of this blog is C is for Chaya. Chaya is my Hebrew name. Translated, it means life (feminine form). For some people a “big C” stands for Cancer. But not here. And that’s how my story begins. On April 7, 2021, at the age of 57, I learned that I carried a BRCA1 […]