Christina and Jessica beat BRCA1

I certainly hope my friends at Speigel and Grau get in contact with Christina Applegate. As I suspected and mentioned on August 7th......It seemed, based on the limited family history I had, that Christina Applegate was a BRCA carrier. Today, I find out I am correct.

This is timely news as Helix Health of Connecticut is now releasing the CliniCast from May 21st 2008: "How Genomic Medicine is Changing the Management of Breast and Ovarian Cancer". Interestingly, this was the day which GINA was signed into law. In fact it happened right when Jessica Queller announced to the world that doctors who are "too old" to learn genetics should retire.

Well Jessica, I am here to teach those doctors.....If they don't want to learn, then I agree. They should retire.

If you want to learn more or even take a listen to our CliniCast, you can pre-order them here.

In addition, if you are listening Christina, you can get a copy today. Just email me at thegenesherpa@gmail.com

Ms. Applegate is scheduled to appear on a one-hour TV special, "Stand Up to Cancer," to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on September 5 to raise funds for cancer research. I am looking into how I can help with this fantastic fundraiser.

The Sherpa Says: BRCA is scary, breast cancer is even scarier. When you know your risk, you can detect disease early and even prevent it in the first place. That is the definition of Personalized Medicine.

BRCA Webcast Sherpas Repost

I vowed I would never post when family took precedence. I have to break that vow again today. I wish I didn't but there is something so vitally important that I must share with you. Why is this important? Because it might save more lives than have been previously lost.

The scourge of Ovarian and Breast cancer has ravaged several populations. With very few cases of early detection in Ovarian cancer, many women present with spread of the cancer and very poor prognosis. Even more importantly, women who have ovarian cancer and BRCA mutations still are at risk for other cancers including breast cancer. Despite this I have heard comments from Oncologists like "Why do we need testing?" This is why I have pulled myself away from my grief stricken family.

To fight this lack of knowledge I have dedicated and arm of Helix Health of Connecticut to educate and promote genomic medicine. This arm will host at minimum monthly podcasts on very important topics. The first of these is Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers and the BRCA genes. The panel will include a patient with BRCA1. She not only happens to be afflicted, she has written about her experiences. Jessica is gifted with the pen and is a very successful writer. Her book "Pretty is What Changes" raises significant issues and serves as a wake up call to clinicians and patients. It serves to empower us all.

Jessica will join David Ewing Duncan, bestselling author of Masterminds: Genius, DNA and the Quest to Rewrite Life, and a panel of distinguished medical and legal professionals to discuss how the doctor-patient relationship is changing and what the potential liability is for physicians in this new era of breast & ovarian cancer and genomic medicine.

The Sherpa Says: The Helix Health of Connecticut webcast series is dedicated to my grandmother who died at 35 years of age from metastatic breast cancer. Too young for me to ever know. Please sign up for this conference. The information may just save a life......If Helix Health of Connecticut can save just one life then all the hard work is worth it. Please sign up now. Seats are limited, but you can also sign up for the podcast.

Jessica Queller and BRCA1

First I would like to apologize to Spiegel and Grau. I missed you gracious letter. Please give me a call.


Second.....I am catching some serious heat about the deCode rant! I never knew so many smokers were hoping to escape cancer and angrily flaming me with emails. Here's a hint ladies and Gentlemen........Quit Smoking and maybe you will avoid cancer. To all of those who decided to fill my gmail yesterday....thanks for reading this blog. I appreciate your interest.


I don't know how many of you picked up the USA Today on March 31st, but in it was a profile on Jessica Queller. She has written a book called:

Pretty Is What Changes-Impossible Choices, The Breast Cancer Gene, and How I Defied My Destiny

About the Book....
Eleven months after her mother succumbs to cancer, Jessica Queller has herself tested for the BRCA “breast cancer” gene mutation. The results come back positive, putting her at a terrifyingly elevated risk of developing breast cancer before the age of fifty and ovarian cancer in her lifetime.
Thirty-four, unattached, and yearning for marriage and a family of her own, Queller faces an agonizing choice: a lifetime of vigilant screenings and a commitment to fight the disease when caught, or its radical alternative—a prophylactic double mastectomy that would effectively restore life to her, even as it would challenge her most closely held beliefs about body image, identity, and sexuality.

The Sherpa Says:
To understand the human issues surrouding genetics we need to experience or read others' experiences. I think many of you already know of my family's history.....very similar.
I am hoping to invite Jessica to the blog. Wish me luck.....