Choosing knowledge helped one woman take charge of her health

October 22, 2024

Providence Health Team

[4 MIN READ]

Brette Borow’s dad, diagnosed with prostate cancer, also tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation. Although Brette’s insurance initially declined to cover her genetic testing, a year of illnesses with no clear diagnosis compelled her to try again.
When Borow learned she was at a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, she knew she had to act to reduce her likelihood of developing cancer. She opted to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery, and plans to have a hysterectomy in the future.
Today, Borow stresses that knowledge is power, and encourages people — and especially women — to trust themselves and advocate for their health.

Choosing knowledge helped one woman take charge of her health

Brette Borow built a career around helping women advocate for their health. When she discovered a threat to her own well-being, she had to take her own advice.

Brette’s father was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer. After his diagnosis, he also learned he tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, which is linked to several types of cancer, including breast and ovarian in women and breast and prostate in men.

Brette tried to get genetic testing herself to see if she had a BRCA gene mutation, but her insurance denied coverage.

“I sort of pushed it off at that point,” she says. “I didn’t really chase after getting those results.”

A year of sickness without answers

During the first full year of the pandemic, Borow struggled with health issues. Although she was sick on and off and met with numerous doctors, she never received a clear diagnosis.

Concerned her breast implants were triggering an autoimmune response in her body — and encouraged by her therapist, who was a breast cancer survivor — Borow vowed to remove her implants and get genetic testing.

“I was so proud of myself,” she recalls. “I did the testing, and I saved up money and put a deposit down to have my implants removed. My hope was that I was taking a step toward resolving whatever it was that was wrong with me.”

When Borow’s OB-GYN called to schedule an appointment to discuss the genetic test results, she was ready: “I was worried it wasn’t going to be good news, but I walked into the office with confidence and a plan. I told my doctor I was going to get my implants out and commit to regular surveillance testing for cancer. Instead, my doctor, very gently and very nicely, said, ‘OK, that’s a great plan, but, no, that’s not what’s going to happen.’ She added, ‘It’s not a question of if you’ll get breast cancer but when.’”

A step forward, but 10 steps backward

According to the National Cancer Institute, a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation spikes a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer by 60%. That’s compared to the roughly 13% risk faced by women in the general population. Similarly, a mutation in the BRCA1 gene raises a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer between 39% and 58% — while a mutation in the BRCA2 gene increases it between 13% and 29% — compared to the 1.1% ovarian cancer risk in women without a BRCA mutation.

At first, Borow was in denial about what her BRCA 1 test results would mean for her life. While her OB-GYN went on to tell her that she recommended a preventive (or prophylactic) double mastectomy and hysterectomy to drastically reduce the cancer risk, Borow struggled to process the information. She broke down in tears once she got to her car.

“I felt like I’d finally taken this big step forward to feeling better only to find out I was going to have to take 10 steps backward,” Borow says. “I tried to tell myself that I was lucky it wasn’t cancer and I was lucky I had a choice and I was lucky I was able to do something proactive about my risk, but the reality was, it was during COVID and it was really challenging trying to figure out what my next steps would be, and it was very overwhelming, to say the least.”

Unchartered territory

Borow has built a digital marketing career around helping women — particularly in the areas of health and mental health. Her founding of HerFeed, a social media community tailored to women, led to partnerships with Providence on several female-focused social media initiatives.

While Borow has always been open about her health and her challenges, talking about her breast cancer risk wasn’t easy.

“I’ve always been pretty open about my life, and I’ve always loved helping women,” she says. “That’s been my dream since I was in my 20s. But suddenly, I just went quiet because I wasn’t sure how to talk about what was going on, or if I even could talk about it since I didn’t have a cancer diagnosis.”

The power to be proactive

Borow is speaking out now to encourage women to remember that knowledge is power. “Ignorance may be bliss, but ignorance could have killed me,” she says. Whether women have mammograms, consider genetic testing or both, their decisions could have a deep impact on their future health.

With that information, women can make informed decisions. Borow opted to have a prophylactic double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. She hasn’t yet had a hysterectomy.

“Looking back, I wish I would have asked more questions before going into treatment,” Borow says. “I had a hard time recovering from my surgery, and I needed time to put my mental health first. So I decided the time wasn’t right yet to have a hysterectomy.”

For now, Borow is focusing on monitoring and surveillance. But she wants everyone — and especially women — to remember to be their own advocates.

“This experience has absolutely changed my perspective,” she says. “One of the things I’ve learned is to trust my gut and trust my body. Also, I’ve learned how important mental health is. The more you cater to it and help your mental health, the better. It sets you up for dealing with any type of ailment.

“Finally,” Borow continues, “I’ve learned that we all have different journeys, but we always need to lead with kindness because we never know what other people are going through.”

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