What happens when you move over 1,000 miles away… and suddenly realize rebuilding your medical team means more than finding new doctors—it means confronting the reality that many parts of the healthcare system still lack basic education around what it means to care for a previvor.

In this episode of BRCA & Beyond, Marisa shares the emotional and practical realities of starting over medically after relocating—leaving behind trusted specialists, navigating new insurance, rebuilding care from scratch, and coming face-to-face with a difficult truth: many primary care providers are not adequately equipped with even foundational knowledge about hereditary cancer syndromes, BRCA, or the long-term needs of previvors.

This conversation dives into the grief of losing a carefully built medical team, the exhaustion of retelling your story, and the larger systemic gaps that often leave patients with genetic mutations doing far too much of the educating themselves.

Inside this episode:

• The emotional toll of leaving behind specialists who knew your history

• Why moving with BRCA or hereditary cancer risk can feel medically overwhelming

• The healthcare system gaps previvors often face

• Why many primary care doctors lack basic education on hereditary cancer syndromes

• The burden of self-advocacy when providers don’t fully understand your risk

• How genetic counselors can help bridge critical gaps in care

• Building a strategic medical roadmap after relocation

This episode is not about blaming individual doctors—it’s about exposing a bigger issue: patients with BRCA, hereditary cancer syndromes, and complex medical histories deserve broader awareness, better physician education, and more informed care pathways.

Because previvors should not have to be the ones teaching the healthcare system how to protect them.

If you’ve ever felt like your medical complexity was bigger than the system designed to support it… this conversation is for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if one conversation, one decision, could change the way you think about your health forever?

In this episode of BRCA and Beyond, I’m joined by Kathy Baker, founder and executive director of My Faulty Gene, a nonprofit focused on helping people access genetic testing and better understand their hereditary cancer risk.

Kathy shares her personal journey through breast and ovarian cancer, the role BRCA testing played in her life, and how her experience led her to create an organization that is now helping others make more informed, empowered decisions. Her story is honest, thoughtful, and a reminder of how much clarity can come from simply having the right information.

We talk about what genetic testing actually looks like, who should consider it, and how understanding your risk can open the door to proactive, personalized care.

In this episode, we cover:

• BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations and hereditary cancer risk

• When and why to consider genetic testing

• Navigating decisions around screening and preventative care

• The impact of hereditary cancer on families

• How My Faulty Gene is helping expand access to testing and education

Kathy is also a cancer survivor and national advocate who serves on multiple advisory boards, using her voice to help others better understand their options and feel supported in the process.

If you’ve ever wondered whether genetic testing is something you should explore, this conversation will give you a grounded place to start.

Connect with My Faulty Gene

Instagram @my_faulty_gene

www.myfaultygene.org

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personal decisions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when cancer risk isn’t just a possibility… but a pattern in your family?

In this episode of BRCA & Beyond, I’m joined by Vanessa Federico, also known as the BRCA Babe, who shares what it’s really like to grow up knowing hereditary cancer is part of your story.

Vanessa is a BRCA1 carrier and one of three sisters, where she and one sister carry the gene and the other doesn’t. That alone brings a layer of complexity that so many families quietly navigate but rarely talk about out loud. We talk about what it feels like to sit at that crossroads, knowing your family history, understanding your risk, and having to make decisions that don’t come with clear answers.

From starting surveillance in her twenties, to choosing a risk-reducing mastectomy at 30, to becoming a mom after her surgery, Vanessa shares her experience in a way that feels honest, grounded, and real. Vanessa Federico stepped into previvorhood with resilience and purpose after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation. As a mother and runner, she uses her voice to shed light on hereditary cancer risk and the emotional realities that come with it, while also embracing the messy, beautiful balance of family life. Through her platform, Vanessa shares her journey with honesty, vulnerability, and a dose of humor, helping to normalize the previvor experience and make difficult conversations feel a little less heavy. Her mission is to create a space where women feel supported, informed, and empowered every step of the way.

You can follow her journey on Instagram at @brcababeboston.

This conversation isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about what it looks like to live through the questions.

If you’ve ever felt the weight of family history, struggled with what decision is right, or wondered what life actually looks like on the other side of these choices, this one will stay with you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.