Oliviya Daugherty

By Previve on October 7, 2010 | Category: Previvor Stories | 2 Comments

Hi, My name is Oliviya and I am 28 years old and BRCA1+.  My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 5 years ago and unfortunately it has metastasized into her bones. Right after my mom found out about her BC my aunt, her sister, was also diagnosed. My aunt unfortunately lost her battle 2 years ago. After finding out my mom was BRCA + I was skeptical about getting the test done.

Oliviya Daugherty

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know this information and what I would do with it if it was positive. After I gave birth to my daughter, my perspective changed and I decided to get tested. I know BRCA could be passed down through my son, but having a daughter made the chances seem more real. In February 2009, I was tested and received my results. BRCA 1 +.  As i researched this information more and more I discovered that there were a lot of women out there like me. I became familiar with the organization FORCE and attended the conference in Florida last summer. Since attending the conference I have decided to have a prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction and then my ovaries removed before I turn 30.

In my journey to begin saving my life I have hit so many dead ends. I met with a doctor who ordered a mammogram and MRI as well as an ultrasound on my ovaries. Three days before my appointment I received a phone call from the hospital telling me my insurance wouldn’t help cover these tests and I needed to come up the $4000.00 out of pocket. In panic and anger I canceled my appointments. I called my insurance company and asked why they wouldn’t cover these tests and they said they cover one mammogram a year for women over the age of 40. I don’t want to wait 12 years to do this, I may not have 12 years to wait. So, I have been searching the internet for free mammograms or financial assistance for mammograms and I keep hitting the same wall. “You have to be 40+” to receive any assistance.

I found Previve and am so inspired by what Claudia is doing for herself. I know I want to follow in her footsteps and do these surgeries that could save my life and make sure my children have a mother. I know I could die in a car accident tomorrow but that is why I wear my seatbelt, to prevent the worst from happening and that is what I feel this surgery would do for me.

2 Responses to “Oliviya Daugherty”

1. Joy

   November 3, 2012 at 5:18 am

   Olivia, I just wondered what you have decided to do. Mammography can also put you at greater risk for breast cancer. I have stopped getting mammograms now (a decision made recently), and am planning on having prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. Three of my sisters have had breast cancer (estrogen+) and one brother died of colon cancer. I want to lower my risk for breast cancer. I am BRCA negative, but the doctor told me that probably our family carries a cancer gene that hasn’t been discovered yet. I’m 59, so I have decided I don’t want to go through the long reconstruction process following my surgery. Hope all is well with you!

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2. Joy

   November 3, 2012 at 5:20 am

   I forgot to mention that one of my sisters died of breast cancer. I thought I had mentioned it, but see that I didn’t. I was there with her and watched her suffering through the chemo treatments. Now they don’t even do chemo for estrogen+ breast cancer. She passed away in 2006.

   Reply