WIN A FREE GENETIC TEST FOR YOU OR A LOVED ONE IN HONOR OF HEREDITARY BREAST & OVARIAN CANCER WEEK!
#Contest #Cause
THERE ARE SOME RULES FOR THIS ONE:
1) You cannot be an employee of Invitae.
2) The winner must be over 18 and his or her doctor must submit a test order that confirms s/he is an appropriate candidate for BRCA testing based on his or her assessment of the patient and his/her family history.
I’m taking a break this week from my regularly scheduled funny and random posts to address something extremely important and close to my heart: YOU and YOUR HEALTH.
In honor of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week (this week of September 29, 2014), I’m giving away two (count em, TWO) BRCA Genetic Screenings.
I know, I know.
Why do I think you would want or need the genetic test or “BRCA” screening, and what the hell is it?
I’ll tell you.
The BRCA screening is important for anyone who’s had a relative (or close friend, or loved one) with breast or ovarian cancer. It tells patients whether or not they have the mutation, putting them at a higher risk for those (and a few other types of) cancers.
MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY THIS GENETIC MUTATION*
The cancers that can occur as a result of this BRCA high risk range from the obvious: ovarian and breast cancers; to the not-so-obvious: pancreatic, prostate and male breast cancers (as well as various forms of skin cancer, stomach and others). So basically, we’re talking about a LOT of cancers, and a potential butt-load of risk.
I think it’s extremely important to tell people in families with Breast & Ovarian Cancer about the screening, whether they know if they carry the gene or not. If you don’t have a relative who’s suffered through any of the related cancers, chances are, you’ve got a friend who has. So, listen up!
If you or a friend or relative know someone who’s had Breast or Ovarian Cancer… This test (and this give-away) is for you, or for someone you love!
And I (along with Invitae – a genetics testing company), am offering you and anyone you know a chance to win a free genetic screening and the genetic counseling to go along with it (actually two chances because there are two screenings being given away)!!!! This thing can cost about $4,000.00, if ordered via traditional methods, people.
Why am I doing this?
Well, because.
Even though I come from a family of 11 kids (10 siblings from the same parents), my sister died of Ovarian Cancer, which she got at the age of 46. She was the first and only one of our family members to have any BRCA related cancers, and she didn’t make it out alive! My sister had to die for me to be seen as “at risk enough” to get the test, and I tested positive, as did another of my sisters (none of my 6 brothers have opted for the screening).
I told all the details of my entire journey on the Ms. Cheevious blog here, and on the Huffington Post here., and I was on The Doctors TV show telling that story as well, with the brilliant cosmetic surgeon who performed my one-stage mastectomy/breast reconstruction (you can see some of it by clicking here).
Suffice it to say, if it weren’t for my sister’s passing, me and my other nine siblings (as well as all of our kids) may have never even known about the screening, whether or not we had the mutation, or what this shit was all about!!!
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER PEOPLE.
What you do with the knowledge is your responsibility. I do not suppose to tell you what is best for you, so once you have the knowledge… Well, the rest is up to you.
I was fortunate that my insurance covered the screening, but not everyone is so lucky.
The Contest:
For those of you who would like to win one of the two screenings I’m giving away, either for yourself or for someone you know, please read the rules:
1) You cannot be an employee of Invitae.
2) The winner must be over 18 and his or her doctor must submit a test order that confirms s/he is an appropriate candidate for BRCA testing based on his or her assessment of the patient and his/her family history.
3) You may enter as many times as you wish, so come back daily to do so.
4) The prize is transferable, so enter for your loved ones, but if they do not meet the criteria of #2 above, and are randomly selected as a winner, a new winner will be chosen.
ENTER FOR YOURSELF – ENTER FOR A LOVED ONE!
I wish I could give this to every single person alive who needs it, but good luck everyone! Please enter DAILY to increase your odds of winning. The winner will be selected on Monday, October 6, 2014.
Here is your chance to enter and win (if the full giveaway isn’t showing in your browser, click here to see it on the Ms. Cheevious Facebook page, or here on Rafflecopter.com):
a Rafflecopter giveaway
#MomFactor: Well, if you, your baby daddy, husband or significant other fall into the category of people who can get this screening, you owe it to yourself and to your kids to enter!
*According to the Susan G. Komen website, in the U.S., between one in 400 and one in 800 people in the general population have a BRCA1/2 mutation. Prevalence varies by ethnic group. Among Ashkenazi Jewish men and women, about one in 40 have a BRCA1/2 mutation.
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Blog content copyright 2014, LISA JEY DAVIS a.k.a. Ms.Cheevious.