Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Last week, the Hollywood actress announced she'd had a double mastectomy after finding she had a genetic mutation that put her at risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She's not alone.
Heather Fineman has lost a lot at the hands of a disease that she's never actually been diagnosed with. Her great grandmother died of ovarian cancer when she was 54, and her grandmother died of ovarian cancer when she was 44. When Fineman, a Highland Park resident, lost her 60-year-old mother to advanced ovarian cancer, she worried she might be at risk as well. She sought out genetic testing and learned she had a rare genetic mutation that gave her a 50 percent risk of getting ovarian cancer and an 87 percent risk of getting breast cancer. So, before Fineman turned 37, she did what an increasing number of women are doing: she got a preventative hysterectomy and a double mastectomy. "I am a 'previvor,'" Fineman said. Last week, Hollywood …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Jolie announced Tuesday she underwent a double mastectomy to prevent her chances of breast cancer. Her likelihood of developing the cancer was at 87 percent. Tell us what you think about Jolie's decision and announcement in the comments section.
Actress and director Angelina Jolie announced today in a New York Times op-ed piece that she recently underwent a double mastectomy to cut her chances of developing breast cancer. Jolie wrote she decided to receive genetic testing since she was at a higher risk of breast cancer — her mother fought the disease for almost a decade before dying at age 56 — and because she wanted to make sure she would be there for her children, according to her New York Times column. Jolie said she carries a "faulty" gene, BRCA1, which raised her risk of developing breast cancer to 87 percent, according to the Associated Press. After having the double mastectomy, her chances of developing breast cancer dropped to five percent, according to the Associated …
Monday, October 22, 2012
Imagine being diagnosed with breast cancer during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The irony was not lost on survivor Marianne Kramer, who shares her story in a Patch Q&A.
A Grayslake Patch profile of breast cancer survivor Marianne Kramer, 43, of Round Lake. When and how were you diagnosed with breast cancer? I was officially diagnosed on Oct. 5, 2011, at 42. It’s not exactly easy being diagnosed during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, since not only is on your mind constantly, it is then everywhere you turn as well! A year later, it is much easier to take. I actually found the lump in my right breast during a self-exam. At the time, I was actually in the best physical shape I had been in, in about 15 years. I was eating well, working out regularly through cardio-kickboxing and strength training, and had recently lost some weight, including in my breasts, and I believe because of the weight loss, the lump was…
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Timeless rock band donates half its receipts to fight breast cancer.
Chicago is a band unlike any other. Making only its second Ravinia Festival appearance this past weekend the group thrilled an enthusiastic audience in its opening night performance Saturday with music from its past and present. Its Ravinia debut was in 1972. Exciting a sold out pavilion and lawn full of fans who have grown into middle age with them and people who have come to know them in more recent years, Chicago played not only for the audience but to help fight breast cancer. Though not publicized beforehand, half of the band’s receipts from its performance go to charity. Chicago has had a history of generosity from its inception in the late 1960’s not limited to sharing receipts. That was a rare bonus for a 14-year old singer from …
Friday, December 31, 2010
A Highland Park yoga instructor released a DVD to help those facing stressful medical situations.
For most people, there's nothing relaxing about waiting in a doctor's office. If you're worried you might get bad news, even reading a magazine can be a futile endeavor. For Gayl Walder, who knows all too well how stressful the setting can be, the doctor's office is the perfect place for yoga. The 45-year-old yoga instructor, who teaches at Equinox and Healing Power Yoga in Highland Park, recently produced a DVD titled Healing in Motion. The unconventional project features Walder going through a series of yoga poses in a doctor's office wearing everyday street clothes. Throughout the video, Walder coaches viewers on how to find inner calm during stressful medical situations such as waiting for test results and meeting with physicians. "It'…
Ziva Green-Kredow
2:17 am on Friday, May 17, 2013
As a BRCA1 mutation carrier and FORCE sister, I thank you, Heather, for all you do for our high-risk population. BRAVO to A.J. more ›