A similar story happened here in Ontario recently, to a 13 year old who has Aspergers syndrome. No one who was invited RSVP’d, so via Facebook his mom asked other moms to send him a birthday text. Instead the whole town celebrated with him and he got thousands of birthday wishes.

I am so sorry for your loss. I also have a younger sibling and I feel even worse for him. I don't think he remembers a time when she was healthy. I am sure it has influenced some of the less than optimal decisions he has made. I know it affected me in ways I didn't recognize for nearly a decade. I hope you and your…

I love your honesty. This description makes so much sense to me, even not having gone through it.

I really hope you found some help in some of the other commenters responses! I am not happy we all have to be part of this group, but I am amazed with how kind everyone is in trying to help each other understand. Good luck to you. I am in Canada, but I will try to remember to post if I find out more.

Thank you so much for your kindness. I sat here and cried when I read all of your responses.

And thank you for what you do. It's a tough job, and I have found our counselor to be wonderfully empathetic when I do give her updates.

I was so surprised it was a group info session. All of the paperwork said 'your meeting' and nothing mentioned the group aspect. I completely understand why they would do the general overview for everyone affected together, but I would have appreciated knowing in advance. I find the topic to be highly emotional given…

I keep in touch with the nurse that follows me through the high-risk program (every 6 months). So far everything has been put off, but I should ask her at what point they would make an exception (e.g. if I felt anything abnormal). I think the unreliability of a mammogram or MRI with changing breast tissue during…

I am so sorry about your partner's diagnosis. When you are young you think you have all the time in the world before you will have to deal with something like this, and then all of a sudden you are there. I knew my mom was diagnosed young, but 32 seems a long way away until you get there.

I don't deal with uncertainty well and I can imagine that period between being tested and getting definitive results would be excruciating. As would a positive result. I admire the strength of other commenters who have tested positive and are making treatment decisions. I didn't understand all the decisions my parents…

Thank you so much for the resources and advice. Even from these posts I see there are many more besides me who can use them.

I need to get on getting insurance, you are all helping me to realise that. I hope I can have more children before having to make any kind of decision. We have other issues that is making that difficult. I'm glad you were able to, and that you then took the steps to keep yourself here for them. And I totally …

I'm so sorry for your loss and that it feels like you are 'inevitably' headed towards that outcome, I understand completely. I had a recent scare related to a different gene, TP53, and it felt like 'this it it, this is how cancer is going to get me'. (My dad also has leukemia, and I have lost 3/4 grandparents to…

I think you are very brave to have been tested and I can imagine it is weighing heavy on your mind. I think it is a test I need to do. I will look into the implications here in Canada.

Thank you. I am in Canada, but I should look into our legislation and coverage here. I have been lucky to see genetic counseling for other issues (relating to multiple miscarriages), and through that family history exercise they identified me as high-risk for breast cancer. But the follow-up counseling was just a…

I want to be tested for the genes due to family history but I am worried about the repercussions a positive BRCA test would have on things like my ability to get medical/ life insurance/ have more kids. That fear has pretty much paralyzed me into inaction. Do you have any experience with any of those aspects?

With a toddler at home and my own hereditary concerns predisposing me to breast cancer I can absolutely identify with looking at it from your children's point of view. The last thing I want is to be sick and or die during their childhood. My mother was diagnosed at 32 and died at 48, and I was worried about her from…

I am so sorry for your loss.
Replying to this comment even though it is not directed to me to say, YES. Please find a counselor you are comfortable with and see them as much as you can/need to. I was dealing with my mother's death in grad school (1 year after she died), and having great counseling services available to…