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Do you have a close relative who has died from, or is experiencing, aggressive breast, ovarian or prostate cancer? Have they been tested for the BRCA gene mutation? Have you? At the age of 35 and following the death of her mother from ovarian cancer, Clarissa Foster was found to carry a harmful mutation in the BRCA2 gene which drastically increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. She searched for a book that would help her to understand the full extent of what it meant to carry a harmful mutation, the options available to her to lower her risk and, most importantly, how it would feel to undergo preventive surgery. Finding nothing that answered her needs she set about reading all the available medical literature and liaising with relevant medical professionals to answer her questions. This book is the result of that research and of the decision she took based on it - to have a full mastectomy and oophorectomy. Within the context of her own painful experience of family cancer and of elective surgery, Clarissa explains what the BRCA mutation is, what it signifies, what the individual's choices are and what the fall out can be in terms of a woman's body image, identity and sexuality.

One woman's brave journey to take control of her life, health, and future.After a routine pap smear in 2009, Angela Schmidt Fishbaugh discovered that she had tested positive for BRCA1, a genetic trait that predisposed her to breast and ovarian cancer. After her initial shock—and subsequent to consulting with medical professionals, friends, and family—the proactive mother and teacher embarked on a mission to nip the issue at the bud.Angela's story is one of personal fortitude. During her journey, she contended with a lack of understanding from those around her, as well as the impending loss of her most feminine qualities. However, as is made abundantly clear in Angela's Decision, she persevered and came out a stronger woman, immensely proud of the decisions she made. The roots of her immense personal strength become evident as Angela offers flashbacks to her past. She shows us the great difficulties she faced while caring for her ailing father and, later, her ailing mother.Written with unbridled candor and lively prose, Angela's Decision follows Angela's yearlong journey through a myriad of clinics, hospitals, and numerous operations. It is a story of struggle and trial, highlighting the challenges both she and her family faced in her crusade against her genetic condition, and the great courage she showed in ensuring the mistakes of her parents did not become her own.