Today is an emotional day. As I sit here, my heart heavy with both relief and worry, my sister lies in a recovery room after undergoing a double mastectomy. She faced one of the toughest decisions of her life—choosing to have this surgery not because she had to, but because it was the only way to guarantee the cancer that was diagnosed wouldn’t come back.
We share a curse, the BRCA II mutation, which has haunted our family for generations. Our grandmother and aunt, both taken far too young, never had this opportunity to fight cancer so proactively. Their lives were cut short, leaving behind memories of their strength and resilience, but also the pain of watching them fade away. The cancer hung over our family like an unforgiving shadow, looming, waiting.
My sister made this decision for her future—for her children, for her peace of mind. I admire her bravery so deeply. She looked cancer in the face and said, “Not again. Not this time.” Watching her go through this has been a mix of heartbreak and admiration. It’s a tough surgery, one filled with both physical and emotional weight. But she is strong, as were all the women who came before her.
And now, it’s my turn. I am next in line for this surgery. I’ve watched our loved ones slip away from this disease, and that fear, that same shadow, has loomed over me for as long as I can remember. But today, as I see my sister fight for her life, not out of fear but out of hope, I am filled with a sense of strength. The women in our family have always fought—fought for more time, for health, for each other. And today, I feel them all around us, their legacy giving us the courage to keep going.
We carry this mutation, this burden, but we also carry a power that our grandmother and aunt never had. Modern medicine has given us the chance to act before it’s too late. It’s a hard road, and the emotional scars run deep, but we’re not doing this for ourselves alone—we’re doing it for every woman who came before us, and for those who will come after.
As my sister recovers with a long road ahead of her, I’m reminded that this battle isn’t just against cancer. It’s a battle for life, for hope, for the strength to keep moving forward, even when the fear feels overwhelming. To anyone who has faced this journey, I admire you. You’ve paved the way for those like me to face this head-on, to not feel so alone in the fight.
I’m thankful for the hope that modern medicine provides us, and even more so for the strength of the women who give me the courage to follow in their footsteps.
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