Cherishing Another Milestone
- Mathew Knowles, 72, the music mogul who helped launch the careers of his daughters Beyoncé and Solange, is celebrating another milestone as the breast cancer survivor rings in his 11th wedding anniversary in the South of France with his wife Gena.
- Often vocal about his love for his wife, the corporate lecturer and health expert has also voiced his appreciation for Gena in helping him find his cancer. Recalling the moment with SurvivorNet, he shared that Gena had found a speck of blood on his pillow in July 2019 and since he had a history in medical sales, he thankfully knew what that could signify and went in to get checked.
- As far as his health history, Knowles already had a knowledge of cancer in his family, but after he was diagnosed, he took it upon himself to find out as much information as he could about his family history and urges others to do so as well.
- The BRCA mutation — which can be passed on from either parent — can cause a variety of cancers. Speak with your doctor today about genetic testing and be sure to stay up to date on your mammograms. Men who are at high-risk should consider getting mammograms, too.
“Having a wonderful anniversary dinner with Gena in St. Tropez,” the best-selling author wrote on Instagram. “Grateful for the love, happiness, and vulnerability we have together.”
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The chic outdoor tablescape and surrounding foliage is a stunning complement to their fitting French Riviera looks — and their friends and fans agree.
“Miss Gina is a vision. Happy anniversary Mr. Mathew and Gina!” one person wrote, while a second added, “Classy lady…congratulations.”
“Okayyyyy Matthew and Gena!” admired a third. “Looking absolutely amazing! May God continue to shine on your union together!”
Mathew and the former model, Gena Charmaine Avery, who has also worked as a real estate agent, wed in 2013. The couple renewed their vows on a romantic trip to Italy in 2022.
Prior to tying the knot for a second time, the Houston native was married to Tina Knowles, with whom he who shares his multi-talented daughters, for 31 years.
Knowles’ Breast Cancer Discovery
In many recent interviews, the corporate lecturer, business consultant and now health expert, has voiced his appreciation for Gena in helping him find his cancer.
Recalling the moment with SurvivorNet, he shared that Gena had found a speck of blood on his pillow in July 2019.
As a former medical equipment salesman in his younger years, Knowles said, “I knew from years ago what that meant, and I immediately went to my physician who immediately referred me to get a mammogram that led to an ultrasound that led to a biopsy that led to surgery,” he described of the whirlwind diagnosis, familiar for many people who have been through it.
“Somewhere in all of this, there was a delay in getting back my pathology report. Had I got my pathology report back sooner, I would have had a double mastectomy, but I didn’t. In all my years working [in medical sales] I had never heard the words BRCA 2 or that I was mutated genetically. I knew nothing about BRCA2 or genetic mutation.”
Knowles, who has since changed his life around and improved his overall health since beating the disease, already had a knowledge of cancer in his family, but after he was diagnosed, he took it upon himself to find out as much information as he could about his family history.
An Extensive Family History of Cancer
When he searched back as far as he could into his family’s history, he found out that his grandmother’s sister on his mother’s side died of breast cancer. “Then on my father’s side, my aunt who is in her 80s, she is recovering from breast cancer,” he said at the time. “With that family history, I should have gotten genetic testing at 30.”
Most recently, Knowles said that his mother’s sister died of breast cancer, sadly, along with two of her three daughters. (He also told SurvivorNet that his daughters have been tested and do not carry the gene.)
Women who carry the BRCA2 gene mutation are more likely to get diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancers, but Knowles went on to explain that having BRCA2 as a man means that you have a higher risk to get male chest cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer.
“I knew my grandpa died of prostate cancer when I was a kid, but I didn’t know that four of my dad’s six brothers had died of prostate cancer. It might be one of those rare cases that BRCA2 is in both families.”
Learning More About BRCA Mutations
BRCA (a breast cancer gene mutation) is actually two genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), each proteins that work as tumor suppressors. They help repair damaged DNA, and are important for ensuring the stability of each cell’s genetic material.
When either of these genes is altered, that mutation can mean that its protein product does not function properly, or that damaged DNA may not be repaired correctly. These inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase the risk of female breast and ovarian cancers, and have also been associated with increased risks for several other cancers.
A man and his wife both going through breast cancer
Dr. Rebecca Arend, Associate Scientist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, explains the mutation in terms of its ability to repair damaged DNA: “What a BRCA mutation is, is a defect in your ability to repair a double-strand break (in your DNA).”
The BRCA mutation (which is passed on from a parent), can cause a variety of cancers, including fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer, which are ovarian cancers.
Speak with your doctor today about genetic testing and be sure to stay up on your mammograms — men, too, if you’re high risk.
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