THE PROSECUTOR IS GETTING SOME PUSHBACK FROM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE. LISTEN BREAST,
PROSTATE, OVARIAN AND PANCREATIC
CANCERS CAN ALL BE HEREDITARY
WHEN IT COMES TO FIGURING OUT
WHO’S AT GREATER RISK FOR THOSE
CANCERS. GENETIC TESTING CAN
PLAY A BIG ROLE IN IDENTIFYING
THAT RISK, BUT THE JOURNEY CAN
BE EMOTIONAL AND ENLIGHTENING,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY
HISTORY OF CANCER LIKE OUR VERY
OWN MEGAN WOODS, SHE DECIDED TO
GET THE TESTING DONE AND SHARE
THE JOURNEY WITH ALL OF US.
THERE ARE SO MANY TIMES WHERE
WE’RE SUPER PERSONAL. WE ASKED
PERSONAL QUESTIONS. WE MEET
PEOPLE IN THEIR WORST DAYS. UM
AND WE ASKED THEM TO OPEN UP,
BUT I GUESS I NEVER REALLY TOOK
THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE. YOU KNOW
, THERE ARE TIMES WHERE WE HAVE
TO DO THAT FOR OURSELVES. AND I
AM A LITTLE NERVOUS. SO MY NAME
IS MEGAN WOODS. I AM 29 YEARS
OLD, AND I AM DOING GENETIC
TESTING. I WANT TO SEE IF I HAVE
THIS BRACHA GENE MUTATION. WE
MADE AN APPOINTMENT, WHICH IS
HALF THE BATTLE. BUT THEN THEY
WANT ME TO FILL OUT. I DON’T
KNOW IF I CAN SHOW YOU ALL OF
THIS FAMILY HISTORY AND HIS
THOROUGH AND THEY WERE ASKING ME
QUESTIONS THAT HONESTLY, I DON’T
HAVE THE ANSWER TO SO I
RECRUITED SOME HEAVY DUTY HELP
MY MOM AND THANKS MOM FOR
HELPING ME HELPS ME TO. IT TOOK
A LOT OF DIGGING. PHONE CALLS IN
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH
LOVED ONES DID YOU EVER HAVE
COLON POLYPS? CANCER IS STRIPPED
AWAY FROM MY FAMILY IS A TOUCHY
SUBJECT. BOTH OF MY GRANDMOTHERS
HAD BREAST CANCER AND BEAT IT
WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GIRL, TOO
YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND WAS LIKE AS
A LITTLE KID. YOU’RE GOING
THROUGH DRAWERS AND STUFF LIKE
THAT. AND YOU FIND LIKE A BRA
THAT ONE SIDE HAS, LIKE, UM,
STAFFING, OR I DON’T KNOW WHAT
YOU WOULD CALL IT AND THEN THE
OTHER ONE IS A REGULAR BRA. SO
AS A YOUNG GIRL, YOU’RE LIKE,
WHAT IS GOING ON ON LIKE, WHAT
IS THIS GRANDMA BUT IN HIGH
SCHOOL WHEN MY MOM’S MOM, MY
GRANDMA JOHNSON HAD TO FACE
BREAST CANCER AGAIN UNDERSTOOD
WHY NO ONE TALKED ABOUT IT.
CANCER HAS SPREAD TO HER LUNGS,
SPINE AND BRAIN. I WAS BY HER
SIDE, DRIVING HER AROUND BATHING
HER AND I SAW HER SCARS FROM
PROCEDURES AND TREATMENTS FOR
WHAT THEY WERE BATTLE WOUNDS.
IT’S HEAVY AND SO THINKING BACK
TO ALL THE THINGS THAT SHE DEALT
WITH. HAVING TO SEE THAT AND
JUST WORRYING ABOUT OKAY. THAT’S
A POSSIBILITY THAT I COULD HAVE
IT. MY GRANDMA JOHNSON DIED IN
2010 13 YEARS LATER GETTING
TESTED FOR THE BRACA. GENE
MUTATION ISN’T JUST ABOUT
RESULTS. FOR ME. IT’S BECOME
ABOUT HEALING, TOO. UM. I THINK
THAT SHE WOULD BE PROUD THAT I’M
NOT AFRAID. UM. YEAH, BECAUSE
SHE SHE WENT THROUGH SO MUCH,
AND I KNOW EVEN MY OTHER
GRANDMOTHER. THAT’S HERE. TODAY
SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH,
AND I THINK THEY DON’T WANT ME
TO GO THROUGH THAT SAME THING SO
THIS COULD PREVENT THAT. THEN I
THINK THEY WOULD BE PROUD. WE’RE
ALMOST THERE. HOW YOU FEELING?
PERFECT YOU KNOW, IT’S ONE THING
WHEN YOU’RE LIKE DOING
APPOINTMENT LIKE THIS IS YOUR
FIRST TIME. BUT THEN YOU HAVE
CAMERAS IN THE BACK. YOU HAVE
YOUR RAJAH. YES, YEAH. HERE WE
GO. RIGHT HELLO? MEGAN HOW ARE
YOU? GOOD HOW ARE YOU? ORWELL
HEALTH IN ROYAL OAK. I MET WITH
A GENETIC COUNSELOR. FIRST SHE
EXPLAINED THE TEST. YOU CAN USE
THIS INFORMATION TO HELP TAKE
CARE OF YOU BETTER SO WE CAN DO
THINGS PROACTIVELY IF WE KNOW
YOU WERE BORN WITH AN INCREASED
RISK FOR CERTAIN CANCERS, AND
THEN WE COULD INCREASE YOUR
SCREENINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT
. THEN I MET WITH DR DANA ZACH
ELIK, THE DIRECTOR OF THE CANCER
GENETICS CENTER, WHO TOOK
INTEREST IN WHAT PREVIOUS
DOCTORS WOULD BRUSH OFF. OFF.
HAD YOUR MOTHER EVER BEEN TOLD
THAT SHE SHOULD TASK BECAUSE HER
MOTHER HAS, UH, I DON’T KNOW,
BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST TOLD HER
ABOUT A STORY I DID ABOUT THE
BRACHA GENE MUTATION DIDN’T EVEN
KNOW WHAT THAT WAS, SHE SAYS.
THAT’S NOT UNCOMMON, ESPECIALLY
AMONG BLACK WOMEN LIKE MYSELF
AMONGST BLACK WOMEN. BREAST
CANCER TENDS TO BE MORE
AGGRESSIVE, GETS DIAGNOSED AT
MORE ADVANCED STAGES AND TENDS
TO HAVE A WORSE PROGNOSIS. WE
TRY TO CALCULATE WOMEN’S RISK OF
BREAST CANCER. ARE BASED ON THE
HORMONAL FACTORS AND FAMILY
HISTORY AND THAT I DON’T BELIEVE
IS BEING DONE AS COMMONLY FOR
BLACK WOMEN AS IT IS FOR OTHER
WOMEN. THERE WERE TIMES I GOT
EMOTIONAL. SORRY. UM SO I CAME
IN JUST BECAUSE MY GRANDMOTHER
MY FATHER’S MOM AND MY MOM’S MOM
AND JUST FINDING OUT ALL THESE
OTHERS DIDN’T KNOW IS YEAH.
REALLY OVERWHELMING. YEAH YEAH.
YEAH IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING. YOU
KNOW, WE’RE GONNA WE’RE GONNA
WALK YOU THROUGH. THIS
EXPERIENCE QUICKLY BECAME
EMPOWERING. THIS GIVES ME A
FIGHTING CHANCE BECAUSE I FEEL
LIKE THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I
FELT LIKE MY GRANDMOTHER DIDN’T
STAND A CHANCE. YOU’RE AN
AMBASSADOR FOR YOUR WHOLE
FAMILY. REALLY TO GO? YEAH I CAN
HOLD IT. AND YET THE TEST ITSELF
IS A SIMPLE BLOOD DRAW. THEN
IT’S SENT TO A LAB TO BE
PROCESSED. WALKING OUT THE
HOSPITAL. I FELT RELIEVED AND
READY FOR WHAT CAME NEXT. I JUST
THINK THAT I THOUGHT I WAS DOING
THIS TO HELP. VIEWERS HELP
MYSELF, BUT I DIDN’T REALIZE IT
WAS GOING TO HELP. MY PARENTS,
YOU KNOW, LIKE I JUST I DIDN’T
REALIZE THE DIFFERENCE THIS
REALLY MAKES. AFTER WEEKS OF
WAITING, IT WAS TIME TO CALL AND
GET MY RESULTS. SO I’M HERE AT
THE STATION WITH SOME MORAL
SUPPORT MY DAD CANCER THIS AS I
HELD MY BREATH, WE FOUND OUT
GOOD NEWS THAT YOU DID NOT COME
BACK POSITIVE FOR ANY OF THE
GENES RELIEF YEARS IN THE
MAKING, AND NOT JUST FOR ME.
YES. OKAY YEAH. YEAH, IT’S NOT.
A HUGE RELIEF FOR SURE. HONESTLY
IT TOOK TIME FOR THE REALITY OF
MY RESULTS TO SET IN. THIS
JOURNEY ISN’T OVER. BASED ON
WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT MY FAMILY
HISTORY. MY GRANDMOTHER HAVING
MULTIPLE SIBLINGS WHO BEAT
CANCER DOCTORS, ACRYLIC IS
SUGGESTING MY MOM AND MY BROTHER
ALSO TAKE THIS TEST. IT’S
IMPORTANT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS
WHAT THE BRACKET TEST IS AND WHO
SHOULD TAKE IT. I’LL BE BACK
LIVE TOMORROW MORNING AT 6 30 TO
BREAK THAT DOWN. MEGAN THIS IS
SO MUCH AND IT’S SO PERSONAL.
IT’S REALLY BRAVE OF YOU TO
EXPLORE, YOU KNOW, SHARE THIS
WITH US. BUT WHAT MOTIVATED YOU
TO DO THAT? I FEEL LIKE I WAS
HOLDING MY BREATH WHEN YOU WERE
LISTENING TO THAT PHONE MESSAGE.
COME IN, HONESTLY COVERING
ANOTHER STORY, OCTOBER BREAST
CANCER AWARENESS MONTH WE WERE
TALKING TO THIS ROYAL OAK MOTHER
WHO SAYS YES, I TOOK A GENETIC
TEST. MY COUSINS TOOK IT. MY
MOTHER TOOK IT AND THEY ALL KNEW
, AND I’M LIKE, WHO ELSE KNOWS
ABOUT THIS? BECAUSE I DIDN’T
KNOW ABOUT IT. YEAH. I’M WITH
CHRISTIE. YOU HAD US ALL IN A
COLD SWEAT. AS WE WAITED FOR THE
RESULTS. I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT IT
WAS LIKE FOR YOU. YES IT WAS.
FOR ME. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT
FOR MY ENTIRE FAMILY CONSTANTLY
TALKING ABOUT IT NOW, WHICH IS
GREAT, AND YOU ARE NOW SHARING
THIS WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
WHO ARE AWARE OF THIS NOW,