Ovarian Cancer, RAD51D, and Life Twice Over

Tawny Rother is 34 years old, recently engaged and a mom to three children. Two years ago, she lost her mother to ovarian cancer. Her mother carried a mutation in a gene called RAD51D, which increases the risk for ovarian cancer. Tawny learned she carried the same RAD51D mutation as her mother. Both of her grandmothers had also died of ovarian cancer. Determined to break the cycle, Tawny recently had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed at age 34. She shares what her journey has been like and memories of her mother. Story Reference Points: Tawny mother’s diagnosis and testing @ 1:50 Tawny’s experience with telehealth genetic counseling and testing @ 3:55 Life after a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy @ 10:34 On deciding when to have a BSO @ 18:27 Ovarian cancer awareness: seek a second opinion and genetic testing @ 20:01 CA-125 screening for ovarian cancer and affordability of genetic testing @ 38:31 Links and Resources Tawny on Instagram: @the_tawnyscrawny_lion and @tawnys_journey Ovarian Cancer Canada Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes. Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online! Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media. Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. Choose from our growing Network of Genetic Counselors. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.