RECURRENCE PREVENTION FROM A 3-TIME CANCER SURVIVOR: VANESSA SILVA
My name is Vanessa Silva. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 after my father was first diagnosed with breast cancer where he was identified as BRCA2 positive. I found out in a very roundabout way. I only went for a check-up because my doctor wanted to be proactive, and she just wanted to confirm that I was healthy. More importantly, she wanted to check to see that I wasn't carrying the gene. But during the mammogram, they told me to go upstairs to see my doctor. Right then and there I knew they were going to tell me I had cancer. I spoke to my doctor and she confirmed it. I can remember crying- then saying, "Okay, you need to get yourself together. There's options. They said it was at stage zero. It's not a death sentence. We're going to do what we have to do... but you're probably going to be BRCA2 positive, as well." The battle for me started with chemotherapy- but not radiation. In a matter of weeks, they realized the cancer was more aggres...
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