FTC: We are very excited to honor you this fall at our virtual event. Your dedication to funding breast cancer prevention has been amazing. Tell us why, with so many organizations focused on breast cancer out there, you chose to put your energy behind Find The Cause?
Tricia: First, thank you for the honor. Anything that I can do to raise awareness of the environmental causes of breast cancer and fund a way to prevention, I am happy to be partnered with. Tom and I became involved with Find the Cause shortly after my diagnosis. We were shocked when learning that 90% of breast cancer patients have no family history. We questioned the disease - if not from family history, then what are the causes that contribute to cancer? We have always supported research for the cure of cancer but never it's prevention. With cancer rates increasing each year it only makes sense that we get ahead of the diagnoses and find ways to prevent it from occurring. Find the Cause does just that - they fund research on cause and also educate people on primary prevention through scientific data of dangerous carcinogens in our environment. We are forever grateful to the Find The Cause Consortium scientists and their devotion to preventing cancer and we hope that everyone reading this will join us to hear the latest updates on the science on October 5th. FTC: Tell us about your diagnosis?
Tricia: On December 26, 2017, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma estrogen positive breast cancer. My diagnosis was discovered through a routine mammogram. Needless to say I was in complete shock, considering I have no family history of breast cancer and I live a clean lifestyle. After hearing the words “you have cancer” there was a lot to process. My first thought was how quickly I could get this cancer out of me. My second thought was to see if I inherited the BRCA Gene Mutation that increases the risk of ovarian and breast cancer - which thankfully was negative. The negative result reduced the risk of passing the gene down to my daughter. It also helped me to determine my course of treatment which was less invasive then if I had the gene. My treatment entailed removing several lymph nodes and a lumpectomy. This surgical procedure was then followed by 7 weeks of radiation at Dana Farber, and a daily dose of Tamoxifen for 5 years following, which I am happy to say I just completed. FTC: How has your experience impacted your life?
Tricia: I do not wish a cancer diagnosis on anyone - however, the experience has had a positive outcome for my family. We talk more fluidly about our health, we foster a deeper appreciation for one another, and we have become more educated about cancer and its causes through Find the Cause. | |
