Anthony's "I am Oneinforty" Story

My wife Julie and I waited impatiently for our genetic testing results. Prior to learning about Oneinforty from Founder Lauren Corduck, I was totally unaware of the 1:40 incidence of BRCA gene mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. I felt a sense of unease after learning about my family members’ risk. Lauren shared that she discovered she is BRCA+ only after being diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer, which made me more concerned.

We have three daughters. My grandmother and both of my aunts had died of breast cancer, making my risk of being BRCA+ considerably higher than 1:40. My wife’s family had mostly perished in the Holocaust, so she had just about no family history to check. Lauren explained that, despite Julie’s lack of known family history of the BRCA cancers, her risk of being BRCA+ was still 1:40.

The information Lauren provided allowed us to come to the decision to have genetic testing so as to be forewarned and prepared should either of us be that one-in-forty. I feel like my family has dodged a bullet. It turns out that neither of us carries a BRCA gene mutation and our daughters have one less challenge in their lives. I am grateful to Lauren for making us aware of this issue and for the work Oneinforty is doing to save lives.