Devon and her Obstetrician/Gynecologist always had a good rapport. During their decade-long relationship as patient and physician, Devon credited her doctor with maintaining her health, saving her daughter’s life despite delivery complications, and generally making each appointment pleasant. Nevertheless, as she waited for her doctor in the examination room this time, she realized she was […]
MiraKind
My “best friend and idol,” my mother, Joanne Perriens
This is Laura’s keynote address from the 2017 ACS Relay for Life, her testament to her mother, her “best friend and idol.” Her mother, Joanne Perriens’ story can be read here. Courage is defined as “strength in the face of grief.” When I look among the faces today, I see the embodiment of courage – cancer patients, caregivers, […]
“I’ve outlived three oncologists”
This article draws upon an interview Joanne Perriens had with our MiraGuide Amanda in June 2016. We were deeply saddened to learn that Joanne lost her battle to breast cancer shortly after they spoke on December 23, 2016. We would like to dedicate this piece in memory of Joanne’s remarkable life in the hopes that […]
“Making Something out of Nothing”
Waiting for her flight at the airport, Michelle Zacharia found herself walking in a direction she did not intend: toward the wall of magazines. Michelle, a person totally disinterested in celebrity gossip and tabloid fluff, thought to herself, “Why am I walking over to this magazine rack? I don’t care about Taylor Swift.” She saw […]
“Nobody plans to get cancer–I certainly didn’t.”
During the summer of 2009, Tina Kelly noticed two pea-sized lumps in her right breast. Feeling strong and having plenty of energy, she thought for sure they were benign fibroids, which she had had previously. Just to be safe, she visited her physician. When a deeper scan revealed a substantial tumor in her right breast, […]
Why you should get your KRAS-variant results
Dear study participants, I wanted to share an experience that I had today. I had a wonderful conversation with a woman who participated in the first MiraKind study. While I always enjoy speaking with study participants, I had very mixed emotions about this conversation, because I was discussing her KRAS-variant results with her – and […]
The truth about GWAS and the KRAS-variant
Although much of the world has accepted that GWAS studies, which use an outdated technology looking at large amounts of data, have failed to find any functional mutations, this approach has twice been used to try and refute the validity of the KRAS-variant. Please read more to understand the significant flaws with these two studies, […]
Using My Illness to Change the Future
A Guest Post by Nancy Bower Kantola Chavez: “It’s definitely cancer” is what I heard on the second day of my summer vacation in July 1995. I was 34 years old and had found a lump under my right breast. In my early 20s, I remember feeling good about checking the box to be an […]
How does breast cancer treatment impact second breast cancer risk?
We are embarking on a study to explore how breast cancer management strategies (e.g., chemotherapy, surgery, hormones) that are used to treat breast cancer, impact breast cancer risk for women with the KRAS-variant.
