Jennifer’s Choice
The threat of breast cancer led Jennifer Murphy to make an agonizing decision. The young mom will talk about that choice at Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day on Oct. 17 at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
London, Ontario – The worry weighed heavily on Jennifer Murphy from the time she was in her 20s. A frightening question mark loomed large and dark. Would she or would she not get breast cancer like her mother and grandmother?
Jennifer’s mother was diagnosed 10 years ago at age 47 and underwent bilateral mastectomy and a hysterectomy. Jennifer’s paternal grandmother was diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer at age 41. In her 30s, Jennifer began having regular screening mammograms but the niggling fear was constant. Over the years, she talked about a preventive double mastectomy with her husband, Patrick. After daughters Charlie 5, and Zoe, 2, were born, the conversation took on a new intensity and wrenching significance. And then Jennifer found a lump.
“It was a complex cyst – not cancer – but I would have to be followed every six months. I had a decision to make.”
Jennifer, 38, will talk about that difficult decision at Breast Reconstruction (BRA) Awareness Day on Oct. 17 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where women seeking information about breast reconstruction after a mastectomy can learn about their options directly from London plastic surgeons, hear from women who have undergone the surgery, and view real results firsthand in the women’s only ‘show and tell lounge.’ It’s the seventh year for BRA Day in London, and Jennifer is the first patient speaker to share her story about choosing preventive double mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
“The choice is so individual,” says Jennifer, an intensive care unit nurse in London. “What’s important is that women know they have options when faced with breast cancer or the threat of breast cancer – and that they are not alone.”
In London, BRA Day 2018 will be held:
When: Wednesday, Oct. 17, 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Where: St. Joseph’s Hospital (get directions), 268 Grosvenor St., London, ON (Closest entrance is Cheapside St. Entrance 4) in the Shuttleworth Auditorium (Zone D, Level 0) - find turn by turn directions to the Shuttleworth Auditorium.
Registration: BRA Day is free but registration is required. Online registration available at www.bra-day.com. Click on “Find an Event” and choose London.
BRA Day is a national event spearheaded by the Canadian Cancer Society. More information can be found at www.bra-day.com
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Interviews can be arranged ahead of BRA Day. Media planning to attend BRA Day are asked to contact:
Dahlia Reich
St. Joseph’s Health Care London
Communication & Public Affairs
519-646-6100 ext. 65294, Pager 10117
@email
About St. Joseph’s Health Care London
Renowned for compassionate care, St. Joseph’s Health Care London is a leading academic health care centre in Canada dedicated to helping people live to their fullest by minimizing the effects of injury, disease and disability through excellence in care, teaching and research. Through partnership with Lawson Health Research Institute and our collaborative engagement with other health care and academic partners, St. Joseph’s has become an international leader in the areas of: chronic disease management; medical imaging; specialized mental health care; rehabilitation and specialized geriatrics; and surgery. St. Joseph’s operates through a wide range of hospital, clinic and long-term and community based settings, including: St. Joseph’s Hospital; Parkwood Institute; Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care; and the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care. For more information, visit www.sjhc.london.on.ca.