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Camera IconRebekah Stone, 35, underwent genetic testing for inherited cancers and was told she had the BRCA2 gene. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\nRoughly one in 100 Australians are living with an increased risk of developing cancer \u2014 and some might don\u2019t even know it.<\/p>\n
Every year up to 16,500 people are diagnosed with inherited cancers, most commonly breast cancer due to mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Inherited Cancers Australia, the national non-profit supporting those affected by inherited cancer risk, is launching a national awareness day on Wednesday to encourage punters to talk about genetic cancer risk.<\/p>\n
ICA chief executive Sarah Powell knows what it\u2019s like to suddenly be told you have a 70 per cent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, and a 45 per cent chance for ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 29. I had triple negative breast cancer, so it\u2019s quite a rare type, quite aggressive, and completely out the blue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Shortly after her treatment, which involved chemotherapy, radiation and a lumpectomy to remove the tumour in her breast, Ms Powell fell pregnant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen my daughter was about six months old, it didn\u2019t sit right with me that I was (diagnosed) so young and so I did a bit of digging,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurns out that people who have Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, so Eastern European Jewish ancestry, have a much higher prevalence of having BRCA mutations. And my dad\u2019s family are Jewish from Lithuania.\u201d<\/p>\n
Genetic testing at Melbourne\u2019s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre confirmed she carried a BRCA1 mutation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the mutation harder to deal with,\u201d Ms Powell said.<\/p>\n
\u201c(My daughter) was about 18 months by the time I found out, and I just thought, oh my God, my cancer no longer ends with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, she\u2019s gone under the knife three times for a mastectomy, fallopian tube and ovary removals.<\/p>\n
As head of ICA, Ms Powell wants to put inherited cancer risk on the national agenda to help increase funding and timely access to genetic services and support. Currently, private genetic testing costs between $600 and $1000.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople understand cancer, but they don\u2019t understand cancer risk,\u201d Ms Powell said.<\/p>\n
Much of the ICA\u2019s work is patient support. They have peer support programs, a genetic counsellor, an online support group and run in-person support days Australia-wide.<\/p>\n
Rebekah Stone, 35, found support in those services when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was not expecting to get breast cancer, I just had an unusual sensation in my breast,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite her mum also undergoing breast cancer treatment at the time, Ms Stone was told it was unlikely to be genetic but was referred for testing anyway.<\/p>\n
She got an appointment three months later, and had already undergone a lumpectomy and started radiation, for which she had to relocate to Perth from Albany.<\/p>\n
Camera IconRebekah Stone, 35, underwent genetic testing for inherited cancers and was told she had the BRCA2 gene. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cI got my results back just after I finished radiation treatment to say that I was BRCA2,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou feel this immense fear for your own kids, and I still feel that now, what if I pass this on to them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Statistically, it was more likely she\u2019d inherited the gene from her father, so Ms Stone let him know.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were estranged at the time, so that was complicated as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her mum passed away five months later, and Ms Stone was put on the elective surgery wait list for a double mastectomy shortly after.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stress and anxiety that comes with waiting for those sorts of surgeries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum\u2019s just died from breast cancer \u2014 I was literally in the room with her as she passed.<\/p>\n
\u201c(My dad) ended up passing away five months after mum, from brain cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Rebekah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/a4a73a885ebdc00b0d8046a4ec42627ce9b7f4b8.jpg\")
Camera IconRebekah Stone, 35, underwent genetic testing for inherited cancers and was told she had the BRCA2 gene. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
Ms Stone had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction in February 2025, more than two years after her initial diagnosis.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a tumultuous journey, but she said knowing about her cancer risk is \u201cpowerful\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt comes with this burden of responsibility, but also . . . it\u2019s such a helpful, powerful thing to know about your risk, and there\u2019s things you can do about it,\u201d Ms Stone said.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowledge is power. It\u2019s a good thing to pursue, and families should talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n