In 2000, I lost my mother to metastatic breast cancer and possibly pancreatic cancer. Because she was post-menopausal when first diagnosed with breast cancer and with no other family history of cancer, I was told it was not necessary to do BRCA testing. I did not have a "significant family history." My mother was an only child and her father was one of eight children, one sister and six brothers. To say we aren't the typical BRCA family is an understatement. Fast forward to 2007 and my 39 year old sister IM's me to say she has a lump. Everything changed in that moment. I decided to google "hereditary breast cancer" and FORCE was one of the top search results. I spent hours on the website reading and learning. I thought I knew everything about breast cancer, and I was wrong. I am so grateful FORCE was there at the beginning of my family's hereditary cancer journey.
I volunteer with FORCE because I want to raise awareness about hereditary cancer and help those that may not have an obvious family history of cancer. I believe Knowledge is Power and I want people to feel empowered when they need to make important decisions about their cancer risk. Being a TeamFORCE Ambassador for the runDisney races combines my love of running with my passion for raising awareness about HBOC and much needed funds for FORCE.