Rachel Lindorff

I'm giving up Alcohol and Chocolate for a month!

It’s that time of the year again! Last year, I gave up coffee for a month and raised $1,823. This October, I am giving up alcohol AND chocolate to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I am aiming to beat last years donation record. No donation is too small (or too large) and even donating the price of what you’d spend on your favourite chocolate bar would make a huge difference and help fund important research. 

Why this cause is so important to me: 

Since losing my Pa to prostate cancer in 2011, cancer has torn through my family. My Aunty, Gloria, was the first to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, followed by my Nan, Kathy, in 2018. My Aunty Bobby’s (Robyn’s) own diagnosis followed at the end of 2019, and my Dad, David, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020.

What we once thought was just an unlucky and unfortunate coincidence, turned out to be much more than that. When Aunty Glor was diagnosed and mentioned the family history of breast cancer on Nan’s side and prostate cancer on Pa’s side, she underwent genetic testing. Aunty Glor was found to carry the BRCA2 gene which enabled our family to have further testing. It was found that Nan also carried the gene along with my two cousins (Gloria’s kids), however my Dad and Aunty Bobby did not.

After dad was diagnosed in 2020 and mentioned his family history to his doctor, the doctor contacted kConFab which allowed us to widen the range of genetic testing. This testing found that both Dad and Aunty Bobby had a variant of the BRCA 2 gene from Pa’s side, whilst the BRCA gene Aunty Glor, my Nan and cousins had came from my Nan’s side.

We were told that for both of my grandparents to carry different variants of this gene was both extremely unlucky and unusual. Following my Dad’s and Aunty Bobby’s diagnosis, my sisters, myself and two other cousins were allowed to be tested. Fortunately, my cousins and sisters do not carry this gene, however I was found to be a carrier.

At 23, finding out you carry a gene which means I have a 70% chance of developing breast cancer over my lifetime, and an increased chance of ovarian cancer too, was absolutely terrifying. However, this testing enabled our family to be proactive and hyperaware. I am already linked in with a breast surgeon and will begin yearly screenings. Whilst there is no need for rash action, I can use this knowledge to my advantage, to have choices and take preventative measures that not everyone in my family was lucky enough to have.

I have chosen to share our family’s situation to raise awareness of the importance of regular screenings, of being proactive and to take action while you can.