I’m back in LA after an amazing FORCE conference and wanted to update you on day two. Day two included my favorite session – Revealing the Story within. This was a writing workshop with Documentary filmmaker Joanna Rudnick (I’ll be posting about her doc shortly) and Boston College Professor Amy Boesky. It was really interesting to see how writing by hand brought a different emotion from me than writing on the computer. Hearing everyone else’s stories was also very emotional for me. A lot of people at the conference didn’t find out they were BRCA positive until they were diagnosed with cancer. It makes me even more thankful and empowered to know about my genetic mutation.

This was an incredible conference and I am so thankful to have been able to attend.

Yesterday was day one of the FORCE conference – which is all about hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. So far, it has been an awesome and sometimes overwhelming experience. Most everyone attending the conference is a cancer previvor or survivor and there are 750 attendees this year! It’s been really nice to meet so many people who have the same genetic mutation that I do, it’s an instant connection you feel.

I’ve learned so much about the mastectomy itself – prep, potential complications, things to have handy around the house (think dry shampoo and hella DVDs). I attended sessions about mastectomies for prevention and treatment, psychosocial aspects of surgery, and fertility and planning for BRCA carriers. I also went to a “show and tell”, where I got to see/feel all sorts of boobies and ask questions about implant types, reconstruction types, and more. I will definitely be blogging more about what I’ve learned throughout the upcoming week. Follow me on Twitter for live-tweeting from the conference.

Caitlin Brodnick is awesome and hilarious. She’s a 28-year old stand-up comic who has the BRCA1 gene mutation (my gene is BRCA2). Like me, she decided to have a preventative mastectomy. She also made her journey public through a web series that Glamour aired, called Screw You Cancer.

I met Caitlin when Screw You Cancer won an award at the Television Academy Honors last week. I practically ran up to her to talk after learning that she had gone through this process, and she couldn’t have been more cool.  She was totally open, friendly, and she gave me her number right away so I could call her with questions. Most impressively, she let me feel her new boobies, and they felt great (it is amazing how every woman I’ve met who has gone through this surgery offers to let me touch their boobs).

Check out episode 1 below and the other eps are after the jump

Amidst the chaos of finishing up all my papers and projects and prepping for finals week, I have a buzz of excitement.  And no, the excitement is not about taking my Advanced Pharmacology cumulative final (groan). It is about the FORCE conference I will be attending in Philadelphia June 12-14. FORCE stands for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered and is a support group and amazing resource for hereditary ovarian and breast cancer issues. They have in-person meetings, online resources, and forums.

I found out about the conference after having lunch with two young women who I met through the online forum. Both women are BRCA positive – one already had a prophylactic mastectomy and the other was considering it. I was amazed at how open both women were and the instant connection I felt with them through our shared genetic mutation and all the stuff that comes along with it. I’ve since emailed people on the forum from all over the country about surgery questions and everyone has responded with wonderful advice.

Once I found out about the FORCE annual conference, I was lucky enough to obtain a partial scholarship through FORCE and my wonderful mom donated airfare to me. I am so jazzed for this conference. I can’t wait to meet others with the BRCA gene, ask a million questions about mastectomy prep and recovery, and go to tons of awesome sessions. I plan to post and tweet often from the conference. Follow me on twitter here.

A big part of why I started this blog was to encourage health care providers to educate high-risk patients about hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. As a nursing student, I see firsthand what an impact heath care providers can make with educating their patients. I got really lucky that the OBGYN I randomly found in undergrad (I used the very good research technique of, “what OBGYN is closest to campus and covered by my insurance) happened to be a BRCA specialist. In the huge clipboard of forms I filled out at the start of the appointment, there was a questionnaire about family history of breast and ovarian cancers. Little did I know as I checked off yes boxes on the form (are you of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, do you have a close relative who was diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer), that my OBGYN would recommend I get the BRCA test.

I want to give a big shoutout to CDC Cancer for starting the #KNOWBRCA campaign, which aims to educate the public about the gene. I also can never express my gratitude enough to Dr. Lofquist, for having that BRCA questionnaire in her packet and for encouraging a girl in her early 20s to get the genetic test that could ultimately save her life.

I have something to get off my chest (no pun intended). I am having a prophylactic (preventative) mastectomy at the end of this summer due to my high hereditary risk of breast cancer.  I am BRCA2 positive, aka the Angelina Jolie gene.  What this means is that I have a ridiculously high risk of getting breast cancer, so I’m having my breasts surgically removed to make sure I don’t get effing cancer. But then, I’ll be getting fake breasts, since my real ones may be trying to kill me.

But there is a lot more to me than my ticking time bomb breasts.  I am a graduate nursing student at UCLA, which is a huge benefit since my friends will actually want to help me clean my drainage tubes (yes, in this blog I’ll talk about some stuff that may sound gross – but I’m just being real, dude). I am a health education and advocacy nut, so I’ll be sharing lots of research, innovations, and prevention/screening resources with this online community. I’m also married to an incredible guy who is fully supportive of my decision and realistic enough to discourage me from getting Nikki Bella sized implants (yes, I am a Total Divas fan).

I’m a pop culture fanatic and movie buff. In my pre-nursing life, I was an editor for Rotten Tomatoes and got to do lots of awesome interviews.  I also love bad movies. One time, I even got to interview The Room‘s Tommy Wisseau under a pseudonym. I’m hoping to use my interviewing skillz on this site and talk to women who have funky genes.

Most importantly, if I can help one person through making my story public, I will feel really great about spilling my guts. So, thanks for sharing this journey with me – I’ll be sharing the good, bad, and ugly. Click here to learn more about me and my story.