Love of my Gurls

Your lifestyle, genetics, & personal and family health history all impact your cancer risk.

Up to 10% of breast cancers are hereditary – meaning you may share risk with your family. That’s why it’s so important to know your HERstory.

If accessing your HERstory is difficult or impossible because of adoption, death, or other family events, know that there are other options for you. Skip ahead to “JOIN THE FAM” below for what you can do to better understand your risk.

STEP BY STEP

MAKE A PLAN

Start with one or two close relatives that you trust.

Whoever you choose, it’s important to get health history information from both your mom and your dad’s side. Then, consider when and where feels best. Would you rather talk in person or is a phone call easiest? Do you want to schedule it in advance or feel it out the next family gathering? There’s no right or wrong choice—you’ve got this!

HAVE QUESTIONS READY

One of the best ways to prepare is to have all of your questions in front of you.

Download the #LMG HERstory worksheet to use as your guide! Scribble, make notes, draw it out—whatever helps you remember the important bits. Sticky notes encouraged.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND

No one knows your people like you do.

Sometimes dredging up family history can get messy. Maybe one of the aunts feels self-conscious about her recent diagnosis, or Gram isn’t ready to talk about Grandpa’s passing yet.

Ask questions with a spirit of trust & empathy. Remember, this might take more than one conversation!

DO THE BEST YOU CAN

This is a process–it’s okay if it’s messy.

So you’ve rallied your family to the kitchen table and your worksheet is ready in front of you. But all anyone knows is that Dovey had the C-word and Uncle Rick doesn’t really want to talk about this while the game is on anyway.

You might need to have multiple talks or do some digging to get a full family health history. Don’t be discouraged or worried if you can’t answer every question. You took a big step towards protecting your gurls just by showing up to do the work. That’s pretty badass in our book.

EXPLAIN THE WHY

Does your family talk enough about health?

Most families don’t, so this may be a new topic of conversation for everyone. We know getting started is the hardest part. You could try: “Did you know that breast cancer is worse for Black women? Knowing our family health history helps me better understand my risk. And knowing all of our risk could help protect me and the whole family. Can we talk about it together?” *talking ‘bout my gurls*

SHARE IT

Now, it’s time to make that HERstory work for you!

At your next check up, share what you’ve gathered of your family health history with your doctor. (Reminder: you should have an annual appointment with a healthcare provider, even if you feel fine!) If it feels right, consider sharing what you learned with the rest of your family—shared DNA means shared risk. Us gurls gotta stick together.

JOIN THE FAM

No matter what your family health history looks like, we have resources to support you and your gurls.

From genetic testing to how to talk to your doctor, we’re here to answer your questions. DM us or email us anytime!