S7 Ep11: A daughter's diagnosis (Laura's mum - Christine Price)

In this episode of the Breast Cancer Now podcast, Laura speaks to her mum Christine. She joins us to talk about being the parent of an adult child with cancer, and their family’s long history with breast cancer. They talk about Christine’s mother Hetty, who died from breast cancer age 43, and her sister Heather, who also had breast cancer.  Laura reflects on her personal experiences of breast cancer, being first diagnosed when she was 29, and then again in 2022 with metastatic breast cancer, and the emotional impact this had on the family. They discuss discovering that they carry a gene mutation PALB2, which has helped to explain the pattern of breast cancer across generations.  Despite the challenges, they talk about what cancer has taught them, how they both focus on living life now, making memories and appreciating the support and treatments available today.  You can watch this episode on Youtube.Key topics:03:05 Christine's mother's diagnosis13:30 Awareness of breast cancer growing up14:35 Laura's primary diagnosis21:20 What it was like parenting a grown up child with cancer24:10 Fear of the breast cancer returning26:51 Christine's sister, Heather's diagnosis30:50 Laura's metastatic diagnosis35:30 How Christine felt about Laura's metastatic diagnosis37:10 What it feels like, as the person who hasn't had cancer39:10 Genetic mutations and implications48:00 Risk factors and differences in lifestyles contributing to breast cancer52:20 The impact of breast cancer on living life to the fullest53:14 What Christine has learnt about breast cancer 56:36 Laura's dad57:50 Laura reflecting on making decisions about her fertility treatment01:01:08 One thing to take away from this episode