I got tested for the BRCA gene mutation while I was pregnant. With my family history, I knew I wanted a double mastectomy regardless of the results.

Photo Credit: Sarah Raanan

Eleven years after my mother died in 1994, when I was 31, I learned that a simple blood test could confirm whether I was a carrier of a BRCA gene mutation. Named for the first two letters of "breast" and "cancer," a positive result would place my odds of developing breast cancer at 87%.