Felicia's Story: Making Genetic Testing Decisions for Her Family and Her Community

 Felicia was diagnosed with de novo metastatic disease, meaning metastatic breast cancer was her first diagnosis, in 2003. But she wasn’t the first person in her family to get a breast cancer diagnosis. In the 1970s, Felicia’s mother and her mother’s four sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer, and all passed away from the disease. In total, 11 women in Felicia’s family have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Initially, Felicia resisted genetic testing. Her cousins Sharene and Lanita had testing because their sister Danielle had passed away from breast cancer at age 33. When they learned they both had a BRCA mutation, they both decided to have prophylactic mastectomies to reduce their risk.

Felicia ultimately decided to have genetic testing: “We’ve got to do what we can to limit the impact of this disease on our community.”

— Last updated on July 17, 2025 at 2:17 PM