Something big is about ready to happen and I want you, all my cyberspace buddies, to be a part of having made it come to fruition.  Currently October is dedicated as “National Ovarian Cancer Month” and September is dedicated as “National Breast Cancer Month”.  There is legislation currently pending to establish the last week in September as “National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) Week” with the Wednesday of that week as “National Previvor Day”.  HBOC Week and Previvor Day will raise awareness of hereditary cancer, leading to more education, research and resources.  Knowledge of a genetic predisposition to cancer, available risk management and treatment options can save lives!  I know this personally!  I’m asking that you help by writing your local House Representative today asking that they support HR #1522.  We need to have all co-sponsors on board by August 2^nd which is only a week away!

I have a personal attachment to the term Previvor.  “Cancer previvors” are individuals who are survivors of a predisposition to cancer but who haven’t had the disease. It identifies individuals who carry a hereditary mutation, a family history of cancer, or some other predisposing factor. I personally initiated the need for this term by creating a challenge on FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered’s main message board where I posted “I need a label!” I was also involved in brainstorming sessions to establish the term. 

My post had come out of shear frustration from not knowing how to identify all that I was going thru.  A term was needed that succinctly identified those individuals, like myself, living with risk and our unique needs and concerns that were separate from the general population, but different from those already diagnosed with cancer.  Prior to term Previvor being coined, the medical community used the term “unaffected carrier” to describe those who had not had cancer but had a BRCA or other cancer-predisposing mutation. “Unaffected carrier” applied from a medical perspective, but didn’t capture the experience of those who face an increased risk for cancer and the need to make medical management decisions. Although cancer previvors face some of the same fears as cancer survivors, undergoing similar tests and confronting similar medical management issues, they face a unique set of emotional, medical, and privacy concerns.  Previvor is a term currently used by the high-risk medical community, including leading researchers in BRCA.  It’s now time to introduce it to the country which will happen if HR1522 passes. 

We need to have all co-sponsors on board by August 2^nd  which is just a few days away so PLEASE take a quick moment to write to your representative right now.  At least 100 co-sponsors are needed to pass the bill.  Let your House Representative know that HR #1522 is critical in the fight against hereditary cancer. 

1. Visit FORCE’s advocacy page for more information and for an e-mail sample you can sent in support of HR1522. 
2. Contact your House Representative today.  Go to http://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml which will lead you to the link that allows you to send them a quick email. 

Every year when the last week in September rolls around and it’s HBOC Week and Previvor Day you will know that YOU personally were involved in making that happen!  Please feel free to share this initiative with everyone!  We need to reach as many people in as many states ASAP. 

Thank you so much for your help! 

P.S.  A little fun fact.  Did you know that Previvor was voted one of the Top 10 Buzzwords for 2007 by Time Magazine?  It was #3.  Woot!

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Mom & I (circa 1970)

 In 2000 I found out that I was high-risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. It was during this time that I felt alone and dealing with a subject not many people understood. Thankfully I found FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. FORCE helped me connect with other women that were going thru the same issues. To give my thanks I’m doing an online fundraiser. Please click on this link to learn more about FORCE, my involvement with the organization and/or to donate. I’d love your help.  You can make a difference.

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We traveled to Branson, MO for a little R&R over the Labor Day weekend.  It had been years since we (suit and I) had been there, and this was a first for our boys.  Although this trip had tentatively been planned for several month we hadn’t made any decisions about what we were going to do once we got there.  We wanted to wing it.  We had coordinated this trip so we could make a stop to see the newest addition to the family, little Baby Anna, our niece (who by the way is as sweet as could be!).  After snuggling with her for a few hours we made our way to Branson.  Since we were really only going to have one full day here we decided to get the most for our money and time we should go to Silver Dollar City for the day. 

I was a little concerned, wondering if the boys were too old for this park and wondering if they had enough to keep us entertained for the day.  I’m happy to say that Silver Dollar City didn’t disappoint.  We started the day by going thru Marvel Cave.  It was very cool, both literally and figuratively.  And, yes there were bats.  We had to travel thru a couple of pretty tight spots and in one section the ceiling was pretty low.  Hanging from this low ceiling was a tiny little bat.  Had I not seen him I definetly could have hit him with my head.  What surprised me was he actually kind of cute!   Tiny little thing, tiny little eyes.  When we got done with the cave we toured the rest of the park.  We partaked in eating lots of different foods and sampling lot of candy.  Salt water taffy is now a new fav of our families. 

That evening we went out to dinner and ran into one of my college roommates who I hadn’t seen for 18 years.  Turned out her husband is a facebook friend of one of my friends.  Such a small world! 

Unfortunately I only have one photo that covers this weekend.  We went low tech thanks to my forgetting our camera and our unit not having internet connection.  I have to say it was a nice relief. 

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