My BRCA Journey

By Sara Schub, who is 45 years old and currently living in New York City. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University and works in healthcare administration. She also counsels women at risk of HBOC and volunteers for various health-related charities.

In early 2011, at a routine appointment with Dr. Monica Prasad, she asked me how I was doing. I took that as an opportunity to tell her what was weighing heavily on my mind – my mother and my cousin were both recently diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. She immediately inquired about my family history of cancer and for the first time I realized how prevalent cancer was in my family. Dr. Prasad suggested I go for genetic testing because I might be at high risk of developing the disease, so I went to a genetic counselor at Mount Sinai. I told her what I knew about my family history, she drew my genetic family tree, enumerated the various genetic mutations that were possible, and recommended genetic testing. (more…)

Woman to Woman: Supporting Patients Who Have Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer can be a challenging and isolating ordeal. Mount Sinai provides a program that helps women who are suffering from this disease and allows them to stay positive.

The Woman to Woman program offers mentoring to women undergoing treatment for gynecologic cancer, including cervical cancer, to help them and their families get through this tough time. The program helps empower women to advocate for themselves and offer ongoing emotional support.

(more…)

Mount Sinai Women’s Health Day of Learning and Luncheon

More than 375 attendees came to hear leading physicians from The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at the Women’s Health Day of Learning and Luncheon held on Thursday, November 13, at The Plaza. Presentations centered on rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C, thyroid disease, genomics and ovarian cancer, and heart palpitations in women. Lisa Ling, the executive producer and host of CNN’s “This is Life,” served as keynote speaker.

A Patient’s Journey Through Pregnancy and Breast Cancer

In July 2013, Adele Rivas discovered she had breast cancer. Two days later, she learned she was pregnant. Ms. Rivas and her husband Luis rode an emotional roller coaster of panic and joy. At that point, they had been trying to have a baby for two-and-a-half years.

But questions abounded. Could Ms. Rivas’ stage 2b cancer be treated while she was pregnant? Would the baby be safe? And would the treatment be effective? The answer was yes to all three questions.

(more…)

Dubin Breast Center Hosts Luncheon and Symposium

More than 150 guests attended the Third Annual Fact vs. Fiction Luncheon and Symposium hosted by the Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute, on Monday, September 29, at 320 Park, a New York City event space. The event raised more than $200,000 to support the Center, a state-of-the-art facility within the Mount Sinai Health System that has registered more than 75,000 patient visits since it opened in 2011.

(more…)

Pin It on Pinterest