DELETION 185AG: I am so blessed!

Rachael, me, Corrin, my mother Julie, Joanna, and Dr. King being reunited at the Jewish Film Festival
I am very humbled and proud to be standing by five of the most influential women in my life and the world!

My mother quilted an awareness blanket
to be auctioned off at the festival.

My mother and Dr. King

I am so blessed to have these five amazing women as family and mentors in my life.
A few years ago the documentary, In the Family, that I mentioned in my last blog, was being debuted at the Jewish Film Festival in Seattle,Washington. My family and I were able to be reunited with Joanna Rudnick (the creator and star of the documentary), and Dr. Mary Claire King (whom discovered the gene mutation/ was filmed with my family as we got our test results). If it weren't for Dr. King, then the world would not know about the BRCA gene mutation, and if it weren't for Joanna, my family and I would not have been a part of spreading the awareness of the BRCA gene mutation.
This was the first time that I had viewed the documentary in it's entirety after it was released, and I cried the whole movie. (It's available on Netflix to watch please do) I held my breath when the part of my family was being shown, and looked around the audience to see the reactions. Tears where all around us, and to this day when someone mentions seeing the film they always say that the part of the Hanke girls getting their test results back was and is the, "most touching and heartbreaking."
It's so weird to know that the "dooms day" moment in my life was filmed, and I can watch over and over at anytime ( yet I never do). Even when I put it on the blog it started playing and I couldn't watch it. It's very special in a way, but I will never be able to watch it again. When I viewed it for the first and only time I critiqued myself and the way I reacted. I didn't want or plan to crying. I thought that I needed to stay strong for my family, but my tears just poured out. Now that I think back tears would have poured out no matter even if the results were negative for all of three of us. I would have cried out of relief of having an answer. We took the test a week or two prior to getting the results. So, not knowing was super stressful on it's own. Plus, at that point in my life when I was 23 I didn't care to know. It wasn't a good feeling. I was being forced to take a test that could change my life forever. I didn't want it to be real. Out of sight out of mind, right?
I think when any human being is put through a period of waiting for any result, whether good or bad, and it finally happens, the emotional relief that you go through just comes out. In our case, we thank God that not all three of us have the BRCA1 deletion though, it's very hard because Rachael being the oldest feels guilt for not having it. Which she absolutely should not, but I know that I would feel the exact same. We are all in this together no matter what! My family is one of the strongest families that I know, and we always persevere through our hard times... Everything happens for a reason and NOW I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of the documentary and I have two of the most influential/inspirational women in the Science/Film world be a part of my life. I am thankful that my sisters and I got the results together that's how God wanted it to be.

This was a very special time, and I want all of these beautiful women to know that I am very appreciative and thankful for them being a part of my life.