Hi my name is Robyn Hamilton. I am an educator, wife and mom of 2 boys. My youngest is LFS positive. In 1997 my dad, who was an only child as was his father, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. As we had no family history of cancers and he was 48 years old it went unnoticed by our GP for months until it was the size of a grapefruit. He had surgery to remove the tumor and radiation to follow. A year later the tumor returned and he passed away in July of 1998. I was 21 years old.
Fast forward to May of 2016, at the age of 39 I found a lump in my right breast. With no history of breast cancer and only my dad's brain tumor and colorectal cancer on my moms side the ultrasound and mammogram misdiagnosed my breast cancer as fibroadenoma. 6 months later I was diagnosed with DCIS as well as IDC. I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction, chemotherapy and genetic testing. The genetic testing revealed LFS. It is odd to say but I felt comforted knowing my dad's cancer had not been a random twist of fate and also knowing I and my son would have screening regularly to hopefully find new cancers in the early stages.
I sometimes feel like the medical appointments, screening protocol and follow up tests for things that are almost always benign are nearly daily or weekly events but I am so grateful for them and for our health care system in Canada.
I was blessed to find the Living LFS facebook group in 2018 and the support has been tremendous. It is wonderful to talk with people who get it or who have dealt with many more cancers than we have and are still staying positive and fighting the fight. In October 2019 our family attended the Living LFS family camp in Montana and it was a truly life changing experience. The connections made were deep and impactful for all of us. It was then that I realized I needed to be a part of the continued support that was initiated by this amazing group of people. I am blessed and excited to help where I can.
