MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Two South Florida women are sharing how they took proactive measures to prevent breast cancer in hopes of inspiring others to get reguarly checked.
Valerie Thompkins and Alexi Haas are speaking out to help the one in eight women who will be affected by breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.
Thompkins got a blood test and wasn’t surprised to learn she had a mutation in her BRCA2 gene, commonly known as the breast cancer gene.
“Deep down inside I knew that I was positive,” said Thompkins. “With a sister having breast cancer at 33, my mom had breast cancer twice. Three of my dad’s four sisters had breast cancer, so it’s like I had a target on my back.”
One in 40 Ashkenazi Jewish women have the gene mutation, and Haas is among them. She got her result with a saliva test.
“This genetic mutation is carried through men as well,” said Haas. “The carrier for me, in my family, is actually my father. Even though my mother had breast cancer, she’s not a carrier.”
Thompkins and Haas both chose to have double mastectomies at Miami Beach’s Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Thompkins chose to have the procedure done three years ago, saying she wanted to send a message to her three daughters and 16 grandchildren.
“I think with African-American women, we are more prone to wait until something happens. There’s a stigma,” said Thompkins. “We don’t want to talk about it. We don’t want to know about it. We’ll just wait and see.”
Haas said her decision came after learning the statistics involved. She said she had an 80% chance of developing cancer in her lifetime.
She had the test done just before her 30th birthday and went through with the surgery 10 months ago.
Haas chose to have the double mastectomy and the reconstruction at once, with both surgeons in the operating room at the same time.
“There might not be a later. When you’re young and have a beautiful body, it’s scary,” said Haas. “You’re really hesitant to do that to yourself because for me, it was like, ‘I don’t have cancer right now.'”
“Prophylactic surgery means that you want to prevent cancer from happening, so you preventively do the surgery before that happens,” said Surgical Oncologist Dr. Juan Paramo, who specializes in breast cancer.
Dr. Gary Rosenbaum works at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and said when a patient already has cancer, treatments like radiation can complicate reconstructive surgery.
He said he had a patient who tested positive for the BRCA2 gene and later developed breast cancer.
“I remember her speaking to other women, and she used to say, ‘If you knew you had a Category 5 hurricane was coming to your door, would you sit there and wait for it?’ All these women have empowered one another,” said Rosenbaum.
Both women felt compelled to share their stories, hoping to convince others to get tested.
“I decided to give myself the gift of life in making that decision,” said Haas.
“Why be reactive when you can be proactive?” asked Thompkins. “That was my choice. I chose to be proactive when it came to my life. I have a lot to live for. This is the one thing I’ve done for me.”
When it comes to genetic testing, both women said having a team of family, friends and medical professionals is extremely important.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.