Ashley’s Family History of Breast Cancer: Finding the Courage

Breast cancer has affected three generations of women in Ashley’s family. Finding the courage to see a doctor and learn more about her own risk for breast cancer was the first step in taking control of her health.

Audio Descriptive Text

• Super comes up with “Ashley On finding the courage to see a doctor”
• Throughout the video, clips of Ashley are shown sitting as she is interviewed.
• Ashley's family photos are shown.
• Genetic testing machinery is shown.
• Super comes up with “BRCA2”
• More family photos are shown.
• An eerie, dim hospital hallway is shown.
• More family photos are shown.
• A doctor is shown writing in a notepad.
• A clock is shown with its hands moving.
• More family photos are shown.
• Photos of Ashley before her surgery are shown.
• More family photos are shown.
• Super comes up with “It’s Time to Talk About Breast Cancer Risk”
• The last screen shows “BRING YOUR BRAVE” with the logos for the National Association for Chronic Disease Directors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and directs viewers to visit: cdc.gov/bringyourbrave

Script

[Ashley] I was 18 years old when my mother lost her life to breast cancer. At that time, I was in college and I was scared. Breast cancer has aggressively attacked three generations of women in my family, and I really felt like cancer was coming for me. It was only a matter of time. I had genetic testing. That’s when I found out that I was a carrier of the BRCA2 gene mutation. I knew that I had an increased risk of breast cancer, but I walked into my high risk oncologist and I was just like, “You know what? This is not for me. They’ve got the wrong person.” And I immediately walked out. But eventually the inner voice in me said, “No, you need to go back.” I realized I had not accepted my BRCA mutation. I was still grieving from losing my mother and that I still had to continue to press forward. And so the second time I went in, I actually did see my doctor. She shared with me different preventative options. And she was very aggressive. And I remember telling her, “I really feel like you’re treating me like I have cancer. I don’t have cancer.” And then she said something to me that really changed and shift my perspective. She said, “Ashley, I have to be aggressive,” she said, “because you have options.” She said, “Your mother, she didn’t have options.” And so it was almost like a surrender. I just kind of threw my hands up and I just said, “You know what? You’re right. Let’s explore those options.” Eventually, I did have a preventative double mastectomy to reduce my risk of breast cancer. And, you know, I look at it like this. Breast cancer aggressively attacked three generations of women in my family. And through genetic testing, we can aggressively attack breast cancer.