My mom and I have always had a lot in common. Some may argue that it is because she was one of the people who raised me, but I do not think that is the sole reason for our similarities.When I was younger my mom taught me how to shave my legs, braid my hair, apply make up tastefully, play "hard to get" and act like a lady. Growing up I went to her for advice about friends, school, how to minimize break outs, and silly high school "relationships" (which really were more or less note passing shenanigans in the hallways than anything to be labeled as a relationship). As I've gotten older I go to her for advice about my two year relationship with my college sweetheart, my never ending pursuit to attain a degree in an area which I love, and how to keep the cellulite to a minimum. Regardless to what I throw at her, she always has intelligent, reasonable advice which I inevitably follow.
My mom and I have never been anything short of best friends. I literally tell her EVERYTHING. While she is still the mom and I am still the daughter, our relationship is more like that of sisters. We share clothes, laughs, books and ice cream.
Throughout my 22 years of living, I have always heard how much I resemble my mom, not only in the most obvious of ways, like, our hair and eyes and dimples, but even in our personalities.
But today I got my phone call from UPMC concerning my genetic testing. Turns out that my mom and I are not only extremely similar in our physical appearance but also in our genetic make up as I have tested positive for the BRCA (cancer) gene.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, this means that at age 35 all of my lady parts will need to be removed as a preventive measure. I will have to undergo a series of regular screenings including mammograms and probes (ugh) and blood work (ughhh). But I knew all of this prior to my screening and realize that I now have more control in my health than I did before because I chose to be proactive.
In hearing the news, I really had no reaction. Literally, I was numb. (Bear in mind this news was broken to me just before dinner time today.) It is not as if I actually HAVE cancer but that my odds are greatly increased. I am not entirely sure that I have digested the news, so please excuse that I have no real reaction to record right now.
What I do know is that I grew up in a house with a very strong woman, who showed me that faith and family can take you through the most difficult and challenging of times. I am going to follow my mom's example and rather than fear what COULD happen, I am going to deal with what I can control...
