I called it "Dooms Day!"

Watch Video | Hanke Family Test Results (Clip 3 of 3): Classroom Clips | POV | PBS  

The documentary my family and I were in

Rachael(oldest sister), Julie(my mom), Corrin (older sister), and me

"Girls... the reason your mother got breast cancer twice is because she has a breast and ovarian cancer gene mutation called BRCA1,"  my father said sadly.
"What, what the heck is that?!"  I didn't even know things like gene mutations really existed.   I was 23 (obviously naive) and my mother had already gotten her double mastectomy after her second occurrence of breast cancer. So we knew she was in the clear and we celebrated!!!   But once my mother and father realized that this gene mutation could be passed down to any of their 3 daughters their hearts sank.   
I had just very recently broke up with my boyfriend of 4 years whom I traveled the world with.   My parents were telling me that I should get tested for this gene mutation, and I didn't want to do it.  I was disoriented, my heart was broken,  I was so hurt from the break up... I was being self centered.  I didn't care to know at such a young age.  My mother hadn't gotten breast cancer until her 40's and the research at that time showed that I didn't have to start getting screened until another couple of years.  
Around this time my mother had contacted a lady, Joanna Rudnick, who happened to be filming a documentary called In the Family.  This insightful film is about Joanna's journey with having the gene mutation and others like her.  Joanna wanted our family in the film but we didn't know how.  The  video above shows the clip where my family is in the documentary.  My sisters and I had been tested for the gene mutation, but had not gotten our results.   The clip is of us getting our results for the first time.  This is the Hanke family IN THE RAW.
The lady we are sitting across from is the amazing Dr.  Mary Claire King who discovered the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer gene mutations.   As you can see Corrin and I have the BRCA1 mutation...  that is why I called it DOOMS DAY! 
My life had changed forever on that day.  It's like it was yesterday.  The weird thing is I wasn't so shocked when she said that I had the gene mutation.  I wish that it was only me if any of us were going to have it.  I've always been okay with doctors visits and hospitals.  Corrin and Rach on the other hand...not so good.  sorry sisters...