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The Mental Load of “ticking time bomb genetics”
Having surgery for a disease you never officially had is objectively a very odd thing. It’s odd medically, and it’s even stranger mentally. A lot of people you talk to about it (at least in my experience) really don’t understand why you would remove something before it is even cancerous, it is a difficult concept…
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1/8th Doctor! – J
Officially 1/8th Doctor! I finally finished my first semester of medical school. There were a lot of adjustments. Moving to a new place, meeting all new people, figuring out how to manage my time were all things that got easier with time. Something really stuck with me through it all though. I had my double…
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Resources
Here I will link resources that have helped me learn more, and cope. FORCE – FORCE is a website all about hereditary cancer. It has a lot of great resources like finding genetic counselors, what to do once you test positive, and tips and advice for making big decisions https://www.facingourrisk.org/ Young Previvors Facebook Group –…
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About Me
My name is Jessica Hanflink, and I am from Ormond Beach, Florida. I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2022 (wahoowa!) and am currently in my 3rd year of medical school. I love working out, cooking, gardening, playing with my two cats (Soot and Remy), reading, and spending time with my family. I have…
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Stories
Because I think we need to hear stories of previvors, I am going to continuously share stories that have personally helped me. Enjoy! Andrea Wallens – https://www.cancer.net/blog/2022-02/why-i-decided-get-prophylactic-double-mastectomy-help-prevent-breast-cancer Caitlin Brodnick – https://www.mskcc.org/experience/hear-from-patients/caitlin-brodnick Allison Mack – https://austinmoms.com/2017/02/21/double-mastectomy/ Angelina Jolie – https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html I will continue to add more stories to this page as I encounter more.
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Episode 4: Doctors, Doctors, and more Doctors
This post I want to share the difficulty in finding a doctor for this type of procedure, and share some advice that I have learned while trying to find a physician I trust. I first started looking online for doctors about a month ago. Most doctors, plastic surgeons, do not really advertise doing double mastectomies…
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Episode 3: Acceptance
Ever since I found out about my mutation, I have been trying to find the positives. At least I can do something about this, I mean boobs are not everything. Yet, I still feel like I am mourning losing them. Additionally, I started to feel bad for myself. I feel bad that I have to…
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Episode 2: The Diagnosis.
I received the genetic testing results on August 11th, 2022. I remember laughing when my mom first told me, a coping mechanism I have developed since I was a kid. When I am uncomfortable I laugh. However, this was not funny at all. My older sister and I both tested positive for the mutation. I…
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BRCA Can't Crack Ya 