Vanity has never really been my thing...

In my 44th year of life I realized that prophylactic was not a synonym for birth control.  Which is somewhat odd because I fancy myself a wordsmith, nonetheless, it is actually synonymous with preventative.  Which makes perfect sense, maybe I can claim blonde moment?
And this brings me to the point of this new blog "journey" (to get all new-agey on you). I find myself in a unique situation of knowing at least 1 of my DNA gene mutations (which we probably all have, I just happen to have been tested for mine). This particular mutation is in the PALB2 gene and it likes to create cancerous cells in a multitude of areas, and one of these areas is breast cancer. It wants to play with other cells too, but I am concentrating on the breast one, because that is where my power is at the moment.
It's not the "sexy" Angelina Jolie gene mutation, but like, the nerdy, back of the classroom wallflower mutation that likes to sneak around and pop up when you aren't looking. So, I have decided to shed some light on this (only recently discovered) mutation by documenting the next few months as I pretend to, as they say in Hollywood, "get some work done."  And I am convincing myself that if I look at it like that, the fear subsides just a little bit.Like, a teensy, weensy, tiny bit.
The reality is I am having a prophylactic mastectomy because the chances of me actually getting breast cancer is upwards of 58%, and the longer I wait, the higher the risk. You don't have to tell me twice, let's do this.
My cousin Meg totally made breast cancer her bitch when she found out her PALB2 mutation had started to mutate the cells in her breast just last year. And she did it with the grace of a princess. She is kick ass, taking it all in stride, with chemo and the whole medical warfare weapons we currently have. And when I asked her if she wished she had done the prophylactic mastectomy instead of chancing it with early detection, it just seemed like there was no other answer.
So, here we go! There are also other family members who have this ugly mutation as well, and we are all navigating these new waters in our own time in our own way.
This blog will be my journey (for lack of a better word), from today (when I actually scheduled my surgery) until I am done with every last surgery. This blog is twofold, selfishly I shall document the process to try to make light of it and just deal. The second part is because I haven't found anything out there in narrative form that takes me through all of the parts of this process. In this space I will start to accumulate and check off all of the things I need to do to prep for surgery and recovery(physically and mentally). Hopefully it will have all the makings of a great movie! Laughing, crying, and a happy ending!
Come along if you choose, or pass along to someone who might appreciate.
Peace and blessings.
KGC