In 2015, two weeks after undergoing a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, I founded BRCAStrong. My daughter, Gabriela, who was just seven years old at the time, lovingly compared me to a butterfly, symbolizing the different phases of life I was navigating. Her comparison resonated deeply, and it became the inspiration for our organization’s mission of transformation and resilience.

July 16, 2004, is a date forever etched in my memory. It was the day I discovered that I carried the BRCA2 mutation,

A Diplomate of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine, Abida has been in private practice since 2009.

My name is Kelly Stars…a wife, mom of a two year old and a pediatric nurse practitioner. I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer/BRCA 1 Positive in 2014 when I was 28 years old. I lost my mother to breast cancer when I was 14—she was diagnosed at 36 and passed away at 41 years old. At that time, we had no knowledge about the BRCA gene as there was no other family history. I found my lump on my own after having just had an ultrasound and MRI 6 months prior.

Looking back on the last year, everything feels like a blur. It all moved so quickly, and even though I’m eternally grateful for that, it feels like I never got a real chance to stop, breathe and acknowledge it all.

In March of 2020 at the age of 32 I was diagnosed with IIB triple negative Breast Cancer. I also found out I carry the BRCA 1 gene.

As of this year, I am a 12 year (left side) and 2 year (right side) Triple Negative breast cancer survivor.

Thank you for agreeing to share your platform and hold space to discuss this special topic:

Hello, my name is Emily and I am a wife and mother to two amazing kids. Just before Christmas 2020, I sat at my kitchen table, trying to fill the tiny spit bottle, that would ultimately test my genetics for the BRCA mutation. I sent that tiny bottle away, enjoyed the coming holidays and thought nothing of what might come back from that genetic test.

I was never one to care much what people thought until now. I lived my life freely and boldly, but people’s perceptions and expectations really weighed on me after my diagnosis. And sometimes it’s my own perceptions that trouble me, whether constantly contemplating my situation, questioning my decisions, or tempering my feelings from some degree of shame. This is an extremely difficult space to be in for those of us unaccustomed to being vulnerable. And a struggle even more so for people of color.

In the fall of 2018 my doctor told me that due to my family history of cancer that I was a good candidate for genetic testing. So, I elected to have the test done. After 4 weeks the test results came back and I was told that I was at high risk of getting breast cancer due to a gene mutation.