It Must Be The Hot Dogs

I just got a phone call from my genetic counselor with Alexian Brothers to tell me the results of my BRAC Analysis. They were negative, meaning that my cancer is not genetic, but the result of some environmental cause.

I was convinced that it would have been positive, with a maternal grandfather who died of colon cancer, an uncle surviving rectal cancer, and an aunt and my mom who are both breast cancer survivors. Yet, this crazy disease surprises me once again.

The BRAC test looks at 88% of genes and mine were clear, which means I am back in the mix with the general population of non-genetic cancer patients in terms of a recurrence. Much better odds!

It all makes me wonder. What DID cause my cancer? My mother might say I ate too many hot dogs. She swears the preservatives and fillers are toxic and cause all kinds of problems - like ADHD and Aspergers. I'm sure she would throw cancer in as well. I do like hot dogs.

I have to ask myself if it was where I grew up. There is a strange, and in my opinion, Erin-Brocovich-type, occurance of cancer on the street where I grew up. On the bottom half of the block, there have been 10 cancer diagnoses in just 9 homes. It's enough to make you wonder. Maybe someday we'll have the answer.