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Letter to the Editor: Newspaper should air Hillary Clinton’s dirty laundry too

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Old-time games highlight apple festival at Heller Orchards

<p>MOUNTAIN TOP &#8212; As the oldest of six, Suzanne Mulvey had long enjoyed being &#8220;the second mom,&#8221; the person who babysat younger siblings, looked out for them, perhaps loaned the occasional car.</p><p>She didn&#8217;t want to share upsetting news with them, but a few years ago, around Thanksgiving, she knew she had to.</p><p>As gently as possible, she told them:</p><p>The breast cancer for which she had undergone treatment in 2007 at age 56, and again in 2011 at age 60, had likely been caused by a genetic mutation known as BRCA2 that is associated with an increased incidence of several types of cancer.</p><p>A genetic test <ins>a physician recommended after the second cancer diagnosis</ins> revealed Mulvey carried the mutation. That meant other biological relatives, specifically her siblings and her children, had a 50 percent chance of also inheriting it.</p><p>&#8220;That was harder than being diagnosed with cancer myself,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The fact that my family would be affected by this was the worst feeling. I felt as if it was my fault.&#8221;</p><p>Of course, it was not Mulvey&#8217;s fault, said her sister, Mary Ann Schramm, 53, also of Mountain Top, explaining she was grateful to have the knowledge.</p><p>&#8220;She was, unfortunately, the trailblazer,&#8221; Schramm said. &#8220;But knowing is half the battle. I&#8217;d rather know about it than not know about it.&#8221;</p><p>Schramm subsequently also tested positive for the gene, and has been prescribed the drug Tamoxifen as a preventative measure. She also takes precautions with yearly breast MRIs in addition to mammograms. She has undergone treatment for lymphoma, which she said is not related to the genetic mutation.</p><p>What can be related to BRCA2 are increased risks of breast cancer in women and in men and increased risks of ovarian and prostate cancer.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re supposed to have colonoscopies more frequently, too, every five years instead of every 10 years after age 50,&#8221; Mulvey said. &#8220;And once a year you should have a dermatologist check your skin head to toe, because there&#8217;s an increased risk of melanoma.&#8221;</p><p>According to information from Myriad Genetic Laboratories, the Salt Lake City-based lab that tested Mulvey&#8217;s blood, a woman who has not had breast or ovarian cancer but carries the genetic mutation has a 33 to 50 percent risk of a breast cancer diagnosis by age 50, compared to two percent of the general population. That woman also has a 56 to 87 percent chance of a breast cancer diagnosis by age 70, compared to eight percent risk for the general population.</p><p>The risk of ovarian cancer by age 70 increased to 27 to 44 percent, as compared to less than two percent for the general population.</p><p>&#8220;Sometimes the medical experts recommend a young woman (with the mutation) have her children right away and then have her ovaries removed,&#8221; said Mulvey, who worked 40 years as a nurse, 29 of them as a nurse anesthetist.</p><p>Distressing as it was at first to learn about the mutation, Mulvey is glad she has the information. There have been times the burden has lifted, she said, as when her son Matthew tested negative. That means he can&#8217;t pass the mutation along to his two little girls.</p><p>By the time preschoolers like Savannah, who is 2, and Mackenzie, soon to turn 4, would have to worry about breast cancer, Mulvey fervently hopes advances in medicine will have made treatments less harsh.</p><p>&#8220;It would be nice if there were kinder treatments, not so rough,&#8221; agreed Schramm, her sister, who is also a nurse anesthetist.</p><p>At first, Mulvey&#8217;s treatments involved lumpectomy, radiation and chemotherapy. Later, because scar tissue made her mammograms too difficult to read, she opted for a double mastectomy.</p><p>&#8220;It might not be the right decision for everyone,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But it was the right decision for me.&#8221;</p><p>Her cancer journey continues with frequent check-ups, but Mulvey says, life is good.</p><p>&#8220;I am proud and grateful to be a &#8216;survivor,&#8217;&#8221; she wrote in an email message. &#8220;The entire experience has helped me appreciate and experience so much more in life every day. I have been very blessed.&#8221;</p><p>Now retired, Mulvey enjoys visiting her grandchildren, who live near Lewisburg, and traveling with her husband, Michael.</p><p>One of the couple&#8217;s most extensive trips was to Italy in 2007, when her first diagnosis was suspected but not confirmed.</p><p>&#8220;I asked Dr. (Bruce) Saidman if I could go and he said, &#8216;Yes, go and enjoy yourself,&#8217;&#8221; Mulvey remembered.</p><p>&#8220;We visited so many churches there,&#8221; her husband said.</p><p>&#8220;But for every time we visited a church,&#8221; Mulvey said, &#8220;I never once prayed that it wouldn&#8217;t be cancer. I just prayed, &#8216;Give me the strength to get through this.&#8217;&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">While it can be stressful to learn you have a genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer, Suzanne Mulvey, of Mountain Top, said the knowledge can help people become more vigilant and proactive about their health care. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_suzanne02.jpg</photo0><caption0>While it can be stressful to learn you have a genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer, Suzanne Mulvey, of Mountain Top, said the knowledge can help people become more vigilant and proactive about their health care. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_suzannesgrandkids.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Suzanne Mulvey, of Mountain Top, was relieved when her son tested negative for the BRCA2 gene mutation because that means he can&#8217;t pass it on to her granddaughters, Savannah and Mackenzie, who live in the Lewisburg area. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_suzannesgrandkids.jpg</photo1><caption1>Suzanne Mulvey, of Mountain Top, was relieved when her son tested negative for the BRCA2 gene mutation because that means he can&#8217;t pass it on to her granddaughters, Savannah and Mackenzie, who live in the Lewisburg area. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_suzanne01.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Cancer survivor Suzanne Mulvey, of Mountain Top, said knowing whether you have a genetic mutation can help a person make health care decisions. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_suzanne01.jpg</photo2><caption2>Cancer survivor Suzanne Mulvey, of Mountain Top, said knowing whether you have a genetic mutation can help a person make health care decisions. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mountain Top woman tested positive for cancer gene which helped her family members to be proactive