Bri G

“Last summer, at 41 years old, I learned I was BRCA1+. While I did have a family history of breast cancer, there was no family history of ovarian cancer. Due to my age, my doctors recommended prophylactic removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes, and I scheduled an appointment with a gynecological oncologist to discuss surgery. Starting around this same time, I could feel ‘something’ (not pain, just ‘something’) near my right ovary. I didn’t have any other symptoms - no bloating, no heartburn, no period changes. Due to my high-risk status, my gynecologist took this seriously and did a transvaginal ultrasound which disclosed a small cyst. A CA-125 blood test result was in the normal range, so cancer was not expected. Three months later, during what I thought was prophylactic surgery, my surgeon discovered I had HGSC stage 3A ovarian cancer. The known cyst had grown as had my CA-125.

Following surgery and diagnosis, I had five sessions of chemo. The journey has not been easy, but I am amazed by the resiliency of the human body. One thing that has really improved my quality of life during treatment is keeping moving. No matter how sick I feel, getting up and taking a short walk always makes me feel better. Also, when I found everything so overwhelming and felt like I was spiraling, I set a rule that I was only allowed to worry about my next step in the journey. I told myself, “don’t think down the road to ‘what if it comes back’, just focus on the next step.”

I couldn’t believe how fast the situation from genetic testing, to the cyst, to surgery, to cancer escalated, but I’ll be forever grateful to my cousin who shared her genetic test results. If I hadn’t known I was at risk for a genetic mutation and gotten tested myself, I’d likely still have cancer unknowingly spreading through by body.”