Grandma, It's Going To Be OK

In a 1991 LA Times article, my grandmother was interviewed about breast cancer in our family.  She sadly passed of heart surgery complications in 2006, right after the birth of my second child.  The two quotes that stick with me from the article are the following:

"I thought I was helping my daughter do all the things that were necessary. And she followed all the rules. What is frustrating is that the results from treatment now are not a heck of a lot better than they were when I had cancer. I am watching her two daughters, ages 22 and 14. I'm hoping the outlook will be better for them, but I'm not sure it will. Twenty-five years after my cancer, why should I still be worried about my granddaughters?" 

And in speaking about my mother...

"At one point, she asked her doctor if she could undergo a prophylactic mastectomy--a procedure where the breast tissue is removed and replaced with implants to lessen cancer risk. She was discouraged from taking that radical step." 

LA Times

I would LOVE to be able to sit face to face with my grandmother right now and show her just how far results from treatment have come since she and my own mother were fighting the disease.  I've gone from a 14 year old to 38 year old and I've been given a wonderful outlook on life with my own children.  I was able to get the BRCA genetic test thanks to my grandmother taking the test months before me, and as a result, I qualified for a prophylactic double mastectomy, no questions asked.  


You don't have to worry anymore grandma.  I've been taken care of by the best. 

My Grandmother

My Mother

Me