Discovering a Family History
I have always known that one aunty (on my father's side) had gone through breast cancer but never knew much about it as things like that weren't openly discussed in my family. However it is interesting to note just how many skeletons are coming out of the closest within the last 72 hours since I made my announcement.
Breast cancer seems to be a "family curse" down through my paternal line with my father's mother (who died before I was born) having had a radical mastectomy in 1954 as well as her sister. Then not one but two of my father's sisters have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The aunty I knew of who had a lumpectomy (which I am scheduled to undergo in August) and another aunty who had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. In my generation, I don't appear to be the single gene carrier either as a cousin (a daughter of another of my father's siblings) also had had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. This cousin has since passed on due to cancer of the spine yet no one is confirming/denying whether her breast cancer and the spinal cancer were connected.
The aunty who I knew has undergone breast cancer has four daughters, all of which she made get tested and thankfully none share the gene. I have another aunty whose lump was benign. My sister mentioned the other week that she found a lump in her breast last year but thankfully that turned out to be a cyst. Both my brothers have daughters and when we get together this coming Christmas time, I think the family history will be talked about a bit more and more openly.
I will be sharing this new with my breast care nurse tomorrow to see if affects my scheduled surgery.