Erin Simeone and I talk about her personal journey with genetic testing, genetic mutations, a breast cancer scare and her double prophylactic mastectomy. Based on her mother’s cancer diagnosis Erin started preventive check-ups. At one of these appointments Erin is given the option to check for the BRCA gene. Now mind you, Erin is in her early 30’s, raising a baby boy and planning on having more children with her husband so having to face the decision whether or not to pursue genetic testing was very daunting.
Simple as it may sound, making the decision whether or not to get tested actually has a very weighty consideration attached to it. What if it comes back positive for a genetic mutation? She’d then be forced to make a decision on which path to choose and no matter what she chose, it would impact every aspect of her life.
She did decide to do the testing and when the results came back 6 or 8 weeks later, she did discover that she indeed had a genetic mutation. Now she faced even harder decisions. Erin shares an example that her doctor gave her that let her know she faced a 75% chance of having breast cancer. What would this mean for her young family and any future plans for adding more children?
Fresh in Erin’s mind is thought of her friend, a young mom herself who passed from breast cancer after a courageous fight. Erin also recalled the painful yet successful battle her mother went through as she faced her breast cancer diagnosis when Erin was only 15.
Erin shares her thoughts as she wrestles with the decision process and eventually deciding to get the double mastectomy. Additionally, she tells us the 2 things that she couldn’t live without while going through the recovery period.
As surgeries do, her mastectomy left her feeling very vulnerable and helpless so Erin also shares not only who you want in your corner but how you can come alongside someone to help them through such a vulnerable phase.
I love what she termed 2 am friends. She was saying that you need to find people who you can call at 2am and they’re there for you. I immediately thought of my sister and a couple of my friends that I would consider my 2am friends but then I got to thinking, at our age we all cut our phones off in hopes of getting a solid night of sleep and not have to get up to go to the bathroom! But the good news is, Jesus is always accessible and that is the one thing that stands out the most in this conversation with Erin.
She gave example after example of the importance, the difference and the impact that her personal relationship with God made in the midst of uncertainty and hard questions. Her desire to use her pain to make a difference for just one person was the motivation that kept her going. Each time she wanted to focus on the hard parts of this season she would turn her focus to God. Looking, listening and seeking His presence, allowed her to see Him through countless situations and experiences.
One of the bible verses that was very powerful for her was when God lead Moses to the Red Sea. She talks about how encouraged she became when she noticed something about that scripture that she had missed many times before. A small detail and yet oh so powerful!
I do want to pause for a moment and purposefully speak to those who have lost a loved one to cancer…and Erin does touch on it. If you’ve lost a loved one…and in this context we’re talking about cancer….we’re not saying God didn’t love them or protect them or that He forgot them. God holds the fullness of life in the palm of His hand it’s not over until, in His Sovereignty, He brings it to a close.
Every single one of us will leave this life on a vehicle one of which is cancer. Death comes for every living being. Actually, death is a transition phase. We will pass from here into eternity and more to Erin’s point, do you know which eternity you’ll transition to? There are only 2 choices, heaven and hell and it’s on this side of eternity that we get to step out in faith and choose to love Jesus in return….what is love if not a choice, right?
With Erin’s salvation in tact and her healing journey in place, the question she gets most often is, would she choose the mastectomy all over again if she had to? Listen in to find out!
Live Loved and Thrive!
Connect with Erin:
erinlsimeone@gmail.com
Bio:
Erin lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, with her husband of close to eleven years, a son, Cullen who is six and a daughter, Camryn who is one. She is a local to the area, having been born and raised in Virginia, and is truly blessed to have most of her immediate family still living locally.
She teaches in the local community and finds joy in building relationships with her students as well as working with them to achieve their hopes, dreams and goals, making learning fun and engaging. Erin attends River Oak Church where she has met life long, 2am friends that have become family, and is an active member of the church body, as well as her in home life group. She enjoys working in the children’s ministry, helping with VBS, helping new members find a place to serve wherever and whenever she meets new people, or helping in any way the Lord moves.
While cancer has been such a tremendous part of her family, in both positive and negative ways, Erin counts it all joy to have been given the opportunity to get ahead of a cancer diagnosis, and hopes to continue to be used as a vessel for the Lord in her family, her church, her school and her community. She strives to find Jesus in every day, and leans wholly on His direction and guidance as she maneuvers through marriage, motherhood, family, church, friendships, and school.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/d059b7a3cf9d4a1bbb9955d6ee858096/edit_v2
