A breast cancer survivor at 28, she’s now a voice of hope

“I learned that my aunt had breast cancer after she was told she had three months to live,” says Brooklyn Olumba.

Shortly after, her aunt passed away, leaving her shocked, grieving, and grappling with questions—like what type of breast cancer was it, and which treatments did she have? Was it hereditary? And if so, were Olumba and her fraternal twin sister, Bethany, both then 22, also at risk?

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One year later, Bethany had genetic testing and discovered she carried the BRCA2 mutation, which meant she has an increased lifetime risk of up to 75% for breast cancer and up to 50% for ovarian cancer. Fresh out of college, Olumba couldn’t afford testing (which her insurance wouldn’t cover), so she put it off. After completing a pharmacy practice residency program at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Olumba was 25 when she got genetic testing and learned that she, too, had the BRCA2 mutation. She was later referred to Penn Medicine’s Basser Center for BRCA.

Because Olumba has dense breast tissue, her genetic counselor recommended annual breast MRIs, which can detect early-stage cancers that mammograms might miss. Her MRI showed breast cancer. She then scheduled appointments with breast surgeon, Alina M. Mateo, director of the Integrated Breast Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, and medical oncologist, Susan M. Domchek, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA. Compounding the typical stress of a cancer diagnosis was the timing of it all: Olumba was diagnosed on March 9, 2020, and hospital protocols were changing dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Olumba had been diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer, also known as ductal carcinoma in situ, of the right breast, and would need surgery and possible radiation therapy. Olumba’s diagnosis was then switched to lymph node-positive cancer, “which completely changed my treatment plan,” she says. She would need chemotherapy next, not just radiation. After four months of chemotherapy, Olumba proceeded with completion of her breast reconstruction and implant placement. Once she recovered, she finished treatment with 28 rounds of daily radiation therapy.

Olumba, who is Black, explains that in many families of color, talking about illness is a cultural taboo. She now initiates conversations with her other family members, urging them to get genetic testing.

After completing treatment, she might have welcomed a break from focusing on cancer. Instead, Olumba went public with her story. “The biggest thing that I want people to know is that your family’s history is also your history,” Olumba says. “If you’re not having these open conversations, you can’t be proactive.”

This story is by Abby Alten Schwartz. Read more at Penn Medicine News.