Todo Bien
There are so many barriers to the test, but this one is seldom discussed.
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I smiled when she got out of surgery.
I playfully joked while we shaved her head.
Likeso many Latinx families, mine is really big on staying positive.
But my family is lucky: My mother survived it.
So did her sister.
So did her mother.
And so did my mother-in-law, twice.
The risk for ovarian cancer also increases to up to 50%.
Latinas are thesecond-most likely ethnic groupto have these mutations, after Ashkenazi Jews.
The problem is, I cant bring myself to take the test.
No one else in my family has taken the test or knows their BRCA status.
As much as I hate to admit it, vanity plays a big role in my thinking.
At 15, I had flat-chested friends who got breast implants instead of quinceanera parties.
But am I wrong tolove my breastsand not want to lose them?
Another aspect is more psychological.
In my family, we pull through tough things, then move on.
We never talk about my mothers cancer, except to say she survived.
I am the middle child of three sisters who, like me, are conflicted about getting tested.
When I asked them about this recently, they pointed out concerns around having children.
My younger sister, who is 24, doesnt really know if she wants kids.
Honestly, I feel like the test is more a blessing than it is scary.
Im still not sure if Ill reschedule that genetic counseling appointment.
While surveillance doesnt prevent cancer, they make it so thatifyou develop breast cancer, you catch it early.
My dread had kept me from learning about this slightly less scary alternative scenario.
Sonrei cuando salio de cirugia.
Hice chistes mientras le afeitabamos la cabeza.
Como muchas familias latinas, la mia siempre mantiene una actitud positiva.
El cancer de seno es la principal causa de muerte entre las latinas en los Estados Unidos.
Aunque mi familia tiene suerte: mi madre sobrevivio.
Y mi suegra tambien, dos veces.
El riesgo de cancer de ovario tambien aumenta hasta en un 50%.
El problema es que no me atrevo a tomar el examen.
Nadie mas en mi familia ha tomado la prueba o conoce su estado BRCA.
Detesto admitirlo pero la vanidad juega un papel importante para mi.
Pero sera que me equivoco al amar mis senos y no querer perderlos?
Otro aspecto es mas psicologico.
En mi familia, superamos las cosas dificiles y luego seguimos adelante.
Nunca hablamos del cancer de mi madre, excepto para decir que sobrevivio.
Cuando les pregunte sobre esto recientemente, senalaron preocupaciones acerca de tener hijos.
Mi hermana menor, que tiene 24 anos, no sabe realmente si quiere tener hijos.
Honestamente, siento que la prueba es mas una bendicion que cualquier otra cosa.
Simplemente no estoy lista para tomar decisiones basadas en ese resultado, por eso no quiero hacermela".
Aparentemente no soy la unica con esta lucha interna.
Todavia no estoy segura si reprogramare la cita de asesoramiento genetico.
Mi miedo me habia impedido aprender sobre este escenario un poco menos aterrador.
This article was originally published onNovember 15, 2021
