I was scared I was 33 years old and had two young children.
The test results came back positive for breast cancer.
I had never heard of the BRCA gene.
BRCA or B-R-C-A is a type of gene that we all carry.
Normally, BRCA helps prevent the growth of cancer cells.
However, when a mutation occurs to the BRCA gene,
this gene can actually cause an increased risk of cancer.
I lost my sister when she was only 44 years old
to BRCA related ovarian cancer and watching a loved one die in a very
painful way motivates you.
The BRCA gene mutation is hereditary.
One of the most important things that I learned is that my mother had the BRCA
mutation and she had breast cancer twice.
A child born to an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation.
Today an estimated 1 million people in the US have a BRCA gene mutation.
The vast majority are completely unaware.
Well I got the test and I was positive and so, you know, now it's me
but more importantly my family directly affected by this.
I need your help. We need money for research. It may not save my life, it may
save my children's lives, it may save someone you love.
Only in retrospect with Jim Valvano's development of breast cancer
did we learn that there was a BRCA gene mutation in the Valvano family.
The mutation is also linked to higher rates of ovarian cancer, prostate cancer,
pancreatic cancer, and melanoma. The fact that it's multi-generational and so when
you look at a family where a grandmother, a mother, an aunt, a daughter you know
you see this pattern, and and you say gosh we want to be able to do something.
The V Foundation has partnered with the Gray Foundation and the BRCA Foundation
to fund critical research and raise awareness.
With the V Foundation a collaborative idea makes a ton of sense.
There was really a natural affinity because all the organizations have these great strengths.
We want to support scientists who are doing great work. We want to raise awareness and the V
Foundation working in partnership with us that's what's happening.
Let's figure out solutions that may span institutions, span disciplines, span cancer types.
The idea of early detection and biomarkers and even the idea of a potential vaccine
all these things are moving forward. Now there's a need for more funding to get
there but this isn't some pie in the sky this is real things that are happening
With BRCA mutations, awareness is life-saving. So if you understand that
you have a BRCA mutation in your family, you can be tested, you can have
prophylactic surgeries and you can save your life.
I decided that I should probably go ahead and have my ovaries removed, and I
thought that was my best decision and now here still and I think it was my best decision.
There's still a lot more to do to make people aware of their
genetic susceptibility to cancer but I am so heartened by the work that's going
on that I'm really optimistic for my daughters and the daughters of other families.
We're coming together as a community to solve this problem. We need all of your
help to join us in this fight. We cannot do this alone. This is a team effort,
just the way Jimmy V would want it to be.
Now we need your help.
Together, we can make a difference