Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Kristal Staker says she always knew deep down that she would develop cancer — it was simply a matter of when. Her mother had been diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer at age 60 and then breast cancer in her latter years. When Kristal’s sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 40s and learned she carried the BRCA1 gene, Kristal decided it was time to face testing herself. 

“It took me too many years, but eventually I was tested, and I am glad I was because I learned I also have the BRCA1 gene. Knowledge is power, and I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to take steps to reduce the chance that I would develop breast or ovarian cancer,” says Kristal. “I accepted that I needed to have my ‘female parts’ removed — there was no point in denying the fact that I was at a higher risk.”

But then life got in the way. Kristal’s mother was in the late stages of dying. She also met the man who is now her husband. A year later, on Sept. 11, 2018, Kristal had an oophorectomy — surgery to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries as a preventive measure.

A week later, her gynecologist delivered surprising news: Post-surgery pathology revealed she had fallopian tube cancer. She would need chemotherapy to further reduce the risk for cancer in her abdominal cavity.

“I was stunned, but I also felt very blessed because it was caught so early — when it was contained and treatable, unlike my mother, whose cancer wasn’t diagnosed until it had spread throughout her abdominal cavity. The knowledge felt like a gift,” recalls Kristal.

During this time, Kristal also caught up on her screening mammogram. She was quickly called back for a second mammogram… then a third, and finally a biopsy. She received a second shock: Kristal also had a form of breast cancer not typically associated with the BRCA1 gene. It was the same form of breast cancer her sister had been treated for. She underwent a lumpectomy to remove the breast tumor and will complete 16 rounds of radiation therapy in the fall of 2019.

Now, she is encouraging other family members, including her adult children, to have genetic testing so they are empowered with knowledge about their personal risk.