GORHAM, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — When Stacey Coleman of Gorham was 35-years-old, she was told she had about a 90% chance of developing cancer by the time she was 40. She had just tested positive for a mutation of her BRCA2 gene.
At first, Stacey tried to shove this new information to the back of her mind and go on with life as usual.
“Sometimes I think when we’re in the midst of life and at this 30-something age, you know, you’ve got kids, you’re on the move, you’re not always putting yourself first,” she says.
But as time went on, she realized she was actually living in fear, “I found myself sitting around a lot waiting, and wondering what was going to happen, worrying about every little thing.”
Watch our Buddy to Buddy report, Tuesday, December 12, at 6:00 a.m. to find out what finally propelled Stacey to have a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer, and how she feels about her decision now.
In the meantime, are you wondering if you should get genetic testing to determine your cancer risk? Here’s a short quiz that can help you figure that out.
And for more information, here’s a fact sheet on genetic testing from the National Cancer Institute.