I am absolutely over the moon to announce that we have finalized arrangements to donate half the royalties from our book to support hereditary breast and ovarian cancer research and education. We have chosen two highly respected organizations as the beneficiaries, each doing groundbreaking work in this area.
Forty percent of the book’s profits will help fund research being conducted by Dr. Kenneth Offit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. It was Dr. Offit’s research team that identified the BRCA gene mutation, and being able to know that I carried the mutation was life-changing for me. I elected to undergo prophylactic mastectomies in 2007, and have tried to use the gratitude I took from that experience to make positive changes for myself, my family and my community. It is a blessing to be able to support this critical research.
Another ten percent of the royalties will go to an organization called Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, or FORCE. We learned about FORCE from my sister, a breast cancer survivor, who became involved as a peer mentor through the organization to help improve the lives of individuals and families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
It’s personally meaningful to support both organizations, and we hope that sales of our book will make a significant difference in developing successful treatments – and eventually a cure.