As the wife of a college basketball coach and a Wisconsin native, in our house we tally wins and losses based on my husband’s team’s record or the Packers’ odds of winning a Superbowl. This time, we’re celebrating a win off the hardwood.
Nine out of nine of my genetic tests came back negative– which is a huge positive when it comes to breast cancer. The doctor says the upside is that I don’t carry the breast cancer gene, but the downside is that we may never know what caused my particular brand of cancer. We seem to have figured out how to fight it though, so I’m okay with that.
The doctor also pointed out that the women in my family (my daughter, my sister, my mom) are still at a higher risk of getting breast cancer thanks to being related to me. You’re welcome, Female Family Members. I’m pretty awesome to have in the family tree. What’s one little scuff on the shoe? If you’re gonna buy the beach, you gotta take the sand. Or something like that.
I’m sure Jordan and I will have lots of conversations as she grows about her health and the importance of regular check-ups, but I’m beyond grateful that they won’t be about the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes.
I told Saul the good news when he got home from his road game. We knew that if the tests came back positive I would most likely be heading back in for another mastectomy and hysterectomy… Saul’s team had lost on the road, but as he wearily crawled into bed at 2 in the morning and listened to my groggy explanation, we both knew, Team Phillips had gotten a major win.