[Jackie07]

Marcia,

I have experienced the same thing - finding out more family members/relatives being diagnosed with cancer after my own cancer treatment.

All my illnesses had been attributed to my being born premature, not following regular sleep pattern, not eating balanced meal, not getting enough rest, ... until my Mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. After my 2nd Brother (the healthiest member of the family and the one who had criticized me the most - he thought his baby sister was just trying to get attention) was treated for colon cancer, I requested for a hysterectomy/oophorectomy and felt like I have dodged a bullet at least for now.

The three of us were born and raised in different environment: Mother in the beautigul, clean, high altitude Yunan (China); 2nd Brother (10 years of my senior) in a suburb by the Taipei river and went to military academy when he was 15. I was born in a different suburb and then grew up in a neighborhood on the hillside shadowed by the bamboo trees.

I found the cluster called HNPCC which seems to explain the cancer incidents in our family. By the way, Marcia, I also have a BRCA1-variant of unknown significance - except that in our family, the significance seems to be 'well-known' now.

So now I regain my 'perfect child' status!

Your family members might want to consider getting tested. The information I read on the HNPCC sites states that since there's still so much 'unknown' out there in the genetic field, even if one's test result doesn't show the 'link', a strong family cancer history still makes one at 'high risk'. At any rate, all this information helps everyone to keep a watchful eye on their health.

It is indeed a very mixed, complex feeling. On the one hand, we really don't want to wish any illness on our family/relatives. On the other hand, we can't help feeling 'vindicated' that we did not bring this on ourselves.