Today is National #Previvor Day, but my journey into previvorship started long before I knew the word “previvor.”

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 8. Years later, she tested positive for an inherited mutation in the BRCA2 gene. After that while working on my PhD, at age 25, I learned that I had inherited the same mutation. Not only did that moment change my life, but it also changed my career. After learning I tested positive BRCA2, I pivoted my PhD research to focus on something deeply personal: how patients, families, and clinicians communicate about hereditary cancer risk. It’s work I continue today. One thing I’ve learned is that previvors live with chronic uncertainty about their risk—not knowing if they’ll develop cancer, or when.

• But I’ve also found that previvors are resilient. They manage uncertainty by:
• Seeking credible information from healthcare providers, social media, family members, and peers
• Leaning on supportive communication from healthcare providers, family, and friends
• Partnering with healthcare providers to make informed health decisions
• Asking for referrals and social support resources when they need them

More than a decade later, I’m still living my story as both a researcher and a previvor.

To me, being a previvor means living with hereditary cancer risk information that helps me make informed decisions about my health while also embracing uncertainty about what my future may hold. That has meant doing increased surveillance (rotating between breast MRIs and mammograms every six months), having conversations with my family members about their potential risk, and engaging in patient advocacy and public outreach.

My mother’s breast cancer diagnosis inspired my career. As a professor, researcher, speaker, and advocate I seek to improve communication between previvors, family members, and healthcare providers. I may have an uncertain future, but I chose to embrace this part of my identity, striving to help others while continuing to challenge myself. I chose to embrace my uncertain future by following my mother’s wise words and “make the best decisions I can with the information I have at that time.”

#NHCW2026 #Previvor #HereditaryCancer #GeneChat #breastcancer #Oncology #Healthcare #NarrativeMedicine #GeneticTesting #BRCA #LynchSyndrome