Understanding BRCA

At the age of 35, mum of two, Clarissa Foster, was found to carry a harmful mutation in the BRCA2 gene, which drastically increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. She was given statistics such as a 45-85% lifetime risk of breast cancer and 10-30% lifetime risk of ovarian cancer. “I felt overwhelmed and scared of the future that lay ahead,” explains Clarissa. “I desperately wanted to connect with other women who were going through the same thing as me and to find answers to my many questions. I looked for a local BRCA group, but there were none. I felt very frustrated, alone and frightened that there seemed to be so little support and I wanted this to change. I decided that once I had come through my own journey, I would write a book with the aim of helping others.”

This deeply personal, incredibly helpful book is the result of that research and of the decisions Clarissa took based on it. Within the context of her own painful experience of family cancer and of elective surgery, Clarissa explains what the BRCA mutation is, what it signifies, what the individual's choices are and what the fall out can be in terms of a woman's body image, identity and sexual functioning. Clarissa opens the book with ‘How it began’, revealing the circumstances that led to the loss of her mum, aged just 48, to ovarian cancer. Medical terms are explained in an accessible manner, and readers are led through the journey, so they can make decisions from a more informed position. This book is also an invaluable resource to friends and family of BRCA carriers and those involved in related medical and healthcare professions.