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July 2008
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I hadn’t seen Hattie Kauffman in 20 years. We were colleagues in the King 5 newsroom when she was a reporter/anchor from 1981-87. She was going to publicly reveal for the first time her battle with breast cancer at the Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Affiliate luncheon in Bellevue today. During an interview before the luncheon, she described her initial lumpectomy and radiation treatment. Then came the bombshell. 4 Comments |
Thank you, Hattie, for coming forward. I'd like to hear the whole interview ... is there somewhere I can get a transcript of it? Or better yet, of your speech?
You make such an excellent point regarding family history as it relates to BRCA 1 and 2 testing. My insurance will not pay for a genetic test based on my family "history," even though I don't truly have a way of finding out their medical history.
I think this is a very poor way of determining risk. What if you are adopted? What if there is something in your family tree that you don't know about (a secret, or "surprise")? What if, simply, you are not close to your family? You have to trust that your relatives are being truthful, and it hasn't been that long that people can even talk about *gasp* "breast" cancer. So you are right, it was often whispered about or swept under the rug.
Genetic testing should be funded by insurance for all woman (and their first degree relatives) if their breast cancer is pre-menopausal. That's a start. Family history is an unreliable indicatior, as you so eloquently pointed out.
Again, thank you very much for coming forward. Your willingness to talk really DOES make a difference!!
Thank you, Hattie, for coming forward. I'd like to hear the whole interview ... is there somewhere I can get a transcript of it? Or better yet, of your speech?
You make such an excellent point regarding family history as it relates to BRCA 1 and 2 testing. My insurance will not pay for a genetic test based on my family "history," even though I don't truly have a way of finding out their medical history.
I think this is a very poor way of determining risk. What if you are adopted? What if there is something in your family tree that you don't know about (a secret, or "surprise")? What if, simply, you are not close to your family? You have to trust that your relatives are being truthful, and it hasn't been that long that people can even talk about *gasp* "breast" cancer. So you are right, it was often whispered about or swept under the rug.
Genetic testing should be funded by insurance for all woman (and their first degree relatives) if their breast cancer is pre-menopausal. That's a start. Family history is an unreliable indicatior, as you so eloquently pointed out.
Again, thank you very much for coming forward. Your willingness to talk really DOES make a difference!!
Sorry for the double post!
Dear MT:
To see the interview, click on the blue "During an interview" in the copy of the blog!