My daughter who is a worrier came with my sister and myself to a genetic clinic on Monday. She was told that she had a 1 in 3 chance of getting breast cancer, as reassurance she was told that 1 in 3 people would get some form of cancer in their lifetime but this hasn’t helped her at all. My daughter is so upset, she knows that going forward she will be screened much earlier than other women but how do I help her to put everything into perspective? none of us know what’s ‘round the corner’(thankfully) but Katie is worrying about something that might never happen and by the time she gets to my age in 25 years time cancer could be a disease of the past just like the plague.
Hi Olwen
I’m sorry to hear that the visit to the genetics clinic has upset and worried your daughter so much. Your post doesn’t say whether she has been diagnosed with a BRCA mutation? I think your genetic counsellor/nurse who imparted this information was very tactless and if it was me I should like to know how he/she arrived at these statistics. It really isn’t acceptable to say that 1 in 3 people will get cancer! This isn’t about other people, its about your daughter and HER risk. I suggest she makes an appointment to go back and discuss what her risks are, how they have been assessed, what mutation she has etc and what options are available to her.
Best wishes
Monday was our first consultation. At the moment we don’t even know whether there is enough family history to justify following through whether we have a gene fault. I think the timing of all this is wrong for Katie, I was only diagnosed in November and fortunately my treatment is now over but emotions are still very raw and the uncertainty of what is going to happen in the future is something that we all constantly worry about. I’m going to ask Katie to phone my BCN, I’ve found her very helpful and I know she’s there for the family as well as me.
Hi Olwen2
It may be helpful for yourself and you daughter to have a look at the BCC information booklet on ‘breast cancer in families’.
To find this just follow the link below:-
breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.718/changeTemplate/PublicationDisplay/publicationId/70
Best wishes
Sam (BCC Facilitator)