The Tech That Saves Lives THE EMILY GUSKIN STORY
STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNY WALTERS
Breast cancer. It’s an insidious disease that touches each of us at some point, whether directly or on the fringes of our lives. And while the thought of a breast cancer diagnosis alone is scary enough, hearing those words spoken to you can be earth-shattering. Fortunately, with the many advances in research and new treatments available, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Women all over the world are fighting the good fight, winning their battles and standing tall as survivors. In fact, technology and genetic testing make it possible to take preemptive measures that increase the odds in your favor and prevent ever having to face a diagnosis. Like many other women over the course of the last decade, genetic testing was a saving grace for Emily Guskin, whose heritage as an Ashkenazi Jew, coupled with a family history of breast cancer, greatly increased the likelihood that she carried the BRCA mutation. And while her mother tested negative for the BRCA gene, her father tested positive for the BRCA1 mutation—a gene that was likely passed on by his mother who died of breast cancer at age 36. Her father’s positive results led Guskin to the decision to get tested herself, and so she sought out genetic testing in 2012 through a clinic in Bethesda, Maryland. “First, we went through our family history with cancer and then I had blood drawn and sent to Myriad Genetics,” Guskin explains of the process. Myriad Genetics is dedicated to providing answers that empower patients and physicians to guide treatment and preventive decisions. They believe that patient care begins with knowledge, and every patient deserves to know the most about their cancer and their risk.
MAY 2022 | TECH + INNOVATION • 77
