Jill Martin of the Today show revealed on Monday that, just one week after testing positive for the BRCA gene, she had been given a breast cancer diagnosis.
Not her mother, but her father Marty, a retired criminal defense lawyer, was the carrier of the gene, which is associated with a markedly increased risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer.
In a series of follow-up appointments after fibroid surgery, Martin, 47, says her doctor recommended she get genetic testing for the gene.
“We were just going over all the tests when she asked, “Did your mother take the test?’ I replied, “Yeah, she’s negative…And so that was sort of a check-off-my-list part of this.
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Martin tells PEOPLE, “And then she asked, ‘Did your dad take it?’ I didn’t really know about the gene in relation to men.”. “I’ve heard of breast cancer in men, but I didn’t realize it was so common, and I didn’t realize it needed to be screened for. ”.
Oh, breast cancer doesn’t run in his family, I said. I want you to take the genetic test, she continued.
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She claimed that the at-home genetic test Martin requested was fairly simple.
“I spit into this tube, mailed it in, and honestly I forgot about it. Three weeks later I got a call saying, ‘You tested positive,'” she explains.
She recently had a clear mammogram, according to Martin, so the news came as a shock.
She exclaims, “My mammogram in January was flawless!”.
The CDC reports that only 7 out of every 100 women in the general US population will develop breast cancer by the time they are 70 years old, compared to approximately 50% of women who test positive for the BRCA genetic mutation.
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Martin made the challenging choice to undergo a preventive bilateral mastectomy after testing positive for the gene.
The only mode I am familiar with is producer mode, so I immediately entered it. Doctors’ names were provided to me. I scheduled appointments, she claims. “This isn’t going to be the summer we thought it was going to be, but thank goodness we caught it,” I told my husband, Erik Brooks. I actually felt fortunate. “.
However, a routine preoperative MRI revealed that Martin had cancer that had spread.
Martin explains, “I went in and I remember she said, ‘It’s cancer,’ and I remember asking, ‘Is it treatable?’ and she said, ‘Yes, yes, you’re going to be okay.'”. I won’t deny that there are times when I cry, but I still consider myself fortunate. “.
On Monday morning’s Today show and in an essay posted on Today.com, Martin announced the news of her diagnosis. In order to have a bilateral mastectomy and start new treatment, she will take a leave of absence starting right away.
And even though Martin says, “I don’t want this to be a pity party,” she claims that the reason she made her diagnosis public was to encourage others to get a genetic test. She says, “Be proactive.”. Technology exists in the present. Use it. ”.
