Each month on Can We Talk?, the Jewish Women’s Archive features stories and conversations about Jewish women and the issues that shape our public and private lives. Alternating between a documentary style and a roundtable format, Can We Talk? includes profiles of historical and contemporary Jewish women, frank discussion of culture, politics, and current events, and little-known stories from our past and present. Contact us at podcasts@jwa.org. Tell us what you think of the podcast! Take our survey at https://jwa.org/podcastsurvey.
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Episode 29: BRCA: A Jewish Legacy
One in 40 Ashkenazi Jews carries the BRCA genetic mutation, which is strongly linked to breast and ovarian cancer.
In this Episode of Can We Talk?, we explore the legacy of BRCA-linked cancers among Ashkenazi Jewish women. We discuss the difficult choice of whether to get tested for the mutation, how to interpret the results, and what to do next. Host Nahanni Rous talks with a mother-daughter team on a mission to fight breast cancer, a genetic counselor who has helped thousands of women grapple with genetic test results, and a survivor of ovarian cancer.
Dr. Rachel Brem directs the Breast Imaging and Intervention at George Washington Cancer Center, Andrea Wolf is the CEO of the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, and Peggy Cottrell is a genetic counselor with Sharsheret, a nonprofit that supports Jewish women who have been diagnosed or are at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Additional Resources:
Advanced Breast Cancer Network FORCE, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered Metastatic Breast Cancer Network The Susan G. Komen Foundation