Canadian woman, Laura Kelly carries the BRCA gene. After losing both her parents to cancer her odds of getting both breast cancer and ovarian cancer were extremely high. A few months ago she had a double mastectomy at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

I feel so many parallels with Laura, as though we are living almost the same life in another place.

Check our Laura’s story and her brave message here: http://www.orilliapacket.com/2016/08/25/washagos-laura-kelly-who-carries-rare-genetic-mutation-wants-testing-to-be-more-accessible

Laura’s blog here:  http://www.laurakellybrca.ca/

Information from the story:

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, most breast and ovarian cancers are not hereditary. Some women have a family history of breast cancer, but only a small number are due to an inherited gene that increases their risk of cancer.

“BRCA mutations account for about 5% of all breast cancers and 4% to 11% of all ovarian cancers,” the agency says on its website. “Genes are not the only factor that affects cancer risk, so not every woman who inherits a BRCA gene mutation will develop breast or ovarian cancer.”