Actress Angelina Jolie is one of my family’s heroines. She shared with the world that she has the BRCA gene, and spoke openly about her hard decisions and preventative surgery. I am no Angelina Jolie. I am a 73-year-old mother of two and a grandmother. Twenty-five years ago I had my first occurrence of breast cancer at the age of 48. At the time I was treated, I did not get tested for the BRCA genes.

Three years ago I was still ignorant of BRCA, and I had no idea how it was going to affect my whole family. Due to my previous breast cancer, my two daughters were followed closely because they are at high risk. We are at further risk as Ashkenazi Jews who stand higher chances of carrying the BRCA gene. Not surprisingly, my daughter Anna’s physician wanted me to be tested for BRCA. Frankly, I had been feeling fine and didn’t want to think about cancer. I was resistant. Fortunately, I sought genetic counseling and was tested. Both of my girls were tested too. My daughter Molly and I both tested positive for BRCA. We chose to have the necessary preventative surgeries right away.

Molly was very lucky. According to her doctors at Dana-Farber Hospital, her life was saved by her surgery as cancer was detected. It wouldn’t have been found any other way. She would have died. Now you can understand why I am passionate about this. BRCA testing saved my daughter’s life.

My preventative surgery was different than Molly’s, and thus I was watched closely for the high risk of breast cancer reoccurrence. Two days after Molly finished her last chemotherapy, I had to tell my girls that my cancer was back. Now we were starting all over again with me, and endless doctors’ appointments, decisions, surgeries, and treatments followed. Thankfully, we are doing well now. We are all so grateful to everyone and all of our medical teams.

My daughters and I are social workers and community activists. We can’t go through all of this and not try to help and educate other people. The doctors feel the same way, and that’s why Dr. Erin Hofstatter from Smilow Cancer Center offered to speak. Rabbi Rachel Safner, Congregation Beth El, and I organized a program that will be held this coming Thursday to educate everyone who might be effected by BRCA.

The featured panelists are Dr. Erin Hofstatter, breast oncologist cand co-director Smilow Genetics and Prevention Program and Claire Healy MS CGC, senior genetic counselor and outreach coordinator to L+M Smilow Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program.

Rabbi Safner, Congregation Beth El, and I will also be on the panel.

There will be a BRCA overview, a discussion of counseling and testing options, implications for breast/ovarian/Pancreas/melanoma, other screening options, and implications for female versus male carriers.

I invite everyone who is interested in gathering information about BRCA to attend this event. It takes courage to listen to this information, but courage could save a life. The decision one makes about health care is not about right or wrong, it’s individual. As the poet Rumi said “out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing there is a field. I will meet you there.”

I look forward to meeting you.

Thursday’s panel discussion will be held at the Waterford Public Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A question and answer period will follow the formal presentation.

Linda Heller lives in New London.