Curveballs

October 21, 2021

Sometimes life throws you a curveball when you're expecting a fastball. You don't have to be playing in the MLB Playoffs to know that what you anticipate happening may not be what happens. No matter how prepared you are, the decision to swing happens when standing in the batter's box with the baseball coming at you. Will the pitcher throw a fastball, a curveball, a slider, or a change-up? 

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I decided to write about the curveball I faced eleven months ago. The short of the long is that a cousin whom I didn't know sought me out to make sure I knew there was a chance that I, like her, could have the BRCA genetic mutation. Spoiler alert, I went for genetic testing, and yes, I have it.

The BRCA gene is a tumor suppressant that we all have, while approximately one in 400 or .25% of the United States population has a mutated version. Mine is the BRCA2 mutation, which means I have an increased lifetime risk of getting several cancers.

I didn't see this coming. How could I when I was only looking for fastballs? I had no idea that I shared a potentially deadly genetic mutation with three relatives from three prior generations, all of whom died from pancreatic cancer. I didn't know that I was significantly more at risk than the general population for getting breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma. (FYI, men with the BRCA2 mutation are at an increased lifetime risk of getting breast and prostate cancer.) 

This news instantly slowed me down, which was necessary as I had a lot to learn and process, options to consider, decisions to make, and surgeries to schedule. I decided to minimize my risk of one day getting breast and ovarian cancer to 1% by having a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes). Regarding pancreatic cancer and melanoma, I am following the medically recommended "surveillance" protocols.

Life is a never-ending series of at-bats. Don't swing for the sake of swinging; instead, first assess the situation, then decide if the pitch is swing-worthy. Ideally, you'll see nothing but fastballs, hit them out of the park, and circle the bases, but you should also prepare for curveballs and the possibility of striking out. Either way, make it your mission to arrive back at the dugout feeling satisfied, albeit possibly disappointed, with your at-bat.

The MLB Playoffs and Breast Cancer Awareness Month occur in October, a month when you can expect the unexpected. While you may not receive a life-changing call from a relative you never met, chances are you will one day experience something that you won't see coming. Who knows what that will be or when it will happen? But it will. Because life throws us curveballs. 

The following organizations are excellent resources for learning more about breast cancer and BRCA:  FORCE, The Breasties, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Susan G. Koman, The Basser Center

For updates about this year’s baseball playoffs, check out the MLB and ESPN websites.