This Young Woman Learned Her Risk for Cancer and Changed Her Own Destiny
Meet Niki, a young woman who watched her older sister pass away from breast cancer and cancerous brain tumors at just 32. Niki knew that her maternal grandmother had also died at a young age in the same tragic way.
“My sister and I always knew we had an increased risk, so we had to go for screenings at an early age,” Niki says
Niki and her family knew that Niki needed to be BRAC analysis tested through Myriad Genetics.
“And if I came back positive, I needed to have my breasts removed, have my ovaries removed and, if I don’t have any children, have children right away,” she remembers. “That was not something I wanted to hear at 25 years old. I was mortified.”
She decided to avoid the issue, so she put the BRAC analysis test off for nine months.
When she finally had the analysis done, the results were grim. She was positive for the breast cancer gene.
Niki made the tough decision to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, and she knows she needs to have her ovaries removed in her late 30s.
“Be your own advocate,” Niki says. “If you have a high family risk, you’ve got to relay that to your doctors. I’m glad I know about my risk, because I can do something about it.”
Watch the full video to hear Niki’s thoughts on the importance of testing and the power in knowledge.
Learn more about the BRAC analysis tests offered by Myriad, and be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about your family history of cancer and other diseases.
