test.

My sister tested positived for the BRCA gene (I'm not sure if it's BRCA-1 or-2, but there's not a huge difference).

This means that, at 29, she's going to have to receive breast screenings, etc. multiple times a year, possibly start on some early medication (like tamoxifin or something along those lines), and may have to reconsider family planning (though she already has Rach, and she and Mat want only 1 more...).

But, on the happy side, she doesn't have cancer yet.

I enjoy being the eternal optimist, but sometimes it's really hard. I have to get my testing done still (on the agenda for this fall). I had always sort of hoped that it would be me who tested positive, not her...I just love my sister too much to want to worry about her struggling with this.

And my parents are not doing too well...of course they aren't. Mom has already dealt with having cancer herself...and her mom...and her sister...Plus, we lost Ashley to it, and both Olivia and Beth had it, and they were 24 and 21, respectively. So, of course, she is expecting the worst for Jennifer...and it certainly is no cake walk for Dad, whose life revolves around his faith and his three girls...And anyway, no one ever likes to know their child is hurting...

But I am trying to remind myself that, despite the mind boggling statistics, Jennifer doesn't have cancer yet. *Optimist optimist optimist*

Having this gene increases the risk of breast cancer from about 5% to 60% by age 70 (with a much faster and greater incline in likelihood), and increases the risk of ovarian cancer from about 2% to about 40%...then, when one cancer is treated, the likelihood of having the other cancer then doubles. Ugh. Pretty staggering stuff.

As I said to J, 10 years ago, we could not have even known what we do now, let alone treated it...so, who knows what we'll have available to us in 10 more years!!!

It is still hard to be nearly 24 and surrounded by cancer...