Jenna Wolfe's Preventive Surgeries
- After undergoing preventive surgeries to reduce her cancer risk, journalist Jenna Wolfe, 49, revealed that she and wife Stephanie Gosk, 51, have separated.
- Wolfe had a preventive mastectomy (removal of the breasts) and hysterectomy (removal of part or all of the uterus) after learning she had the BRCA gene mutation, which increases a woman’s risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer.
- Some women inherit changes to genes like BRCA1 or BRCA2, and genetic tests can find these changes early, acting as an early warning for women to take preventive steps.
- Wolfe's health journey helped build resilience for herself. Resilience is an important trait to have in the face of adversity including a health challenge such as cancer.
For journalists Jenna Wolfe, 49, and Stephanie Gosk, 51, who share two daughters together, the strains of the pandemic led to them ending their decade-long partnership. However, the announcement of the breakup comes just after Wolfe underwent preventive surgeries to reduce her risk of breast and ovarian cancers – due to having the BRCA gene mutation.
"The girls endured a lot of my setbacks," Wolfe told People Magazine in an interview.
The two still co-parent their children and are still "great friends,” Wolfe said.
Amid household challenges, Wolfe's mom Sheila was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The restrictions posed by the pandemic meant Wolfe couldn't be by her mom's side as much as she'd like.
"She endured chemo, radiation, and loss of her hair and fingernails. And nobody except my dad could be there with her because everybody was quarantined or isolated," she described.
Luckily, Wolfe's mom overcame breast cancer, successfully enduring a preventative hysterectomy and a double mastectomy.
A hysterectomy is a procedure that removes part or all of the uterus (or womb), often along with the cervix, according to the National Cancer Institute. Women who receive a diagnosis of uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancer may have their cancer treated with a hysterectomy.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Heidi Gray, a gynecologic oncologist, talked about open surgery versus robotic surgery, and how the two can be used to perform a hysterectomy.
"The most common procedure that we do robotically would be a hysterectomy, removal of the tubes and ovaries, you can also do more complicated omentectomy… removing of the omentum [a fatty apron surrounding abdominal organs]," Dr. Gray explained.
A double mastectomy is a procedure to remove both breasts to get rid of cancer. The procedure can also be a preventative measure for women at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
WATCH: What happens during a double mastectomy?
"A double mastectomy typically takes about two hours for the cancer part of the operation, the removing of the tissue," Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet. "The real length, the total length of the surgery, can often depend on what type of reconstruction [a patient] has."
Dr. Port notes that these days, most women do opt to have some sort of reconstruction. The length of these surgeries can vary a great deal. When implants are used, the procedure can take two to three hours (so the total surgery time would be around five hours). There is also the option to take one's own tissue (usually from the belly area) and transfer it into the breast area but this is a much longer procedure.
As part of Wolfe's mother's treatment, she also underwent testing to see if she had the BRCA gene mutation, which increases a woman’s risk of developing several cancers, including ovarian and breast.
Wolfe's mother tested positive, which prompted Wolfe to test to see if she inherited the gene. Wolfe's genetic test proved she also carried the BRCA gene mutation.
"There was no cancer in our family, but we ran all the numbers: I'm in my late forties, and my mom had cancer, and I'm an Ashkenazi Jew. My cancer risk was at 44%. That's almost 1 in 2. I was walking around like thanking my lucky stars that I hadn't gotten cancer yet," Wolfe said.
After learning about her cancer risk, Wolfe decided to get a preventative mastectomy and hysterectomy.
"There was no hesitation about the surgeries. When I get something in my head, it's, let's just do it, let's move forward. And that's how I have lived my life," Wolfe explained.
However, the veteran journalist found herself feeling the effects of the surgeries.
"I've had really bad complications with both surgeries," Wolfe said.
Although it took Wolfe several weeks to regain a sense of normalcy and control of her life following the preventative cancer surgeries, she managed to do it.
Wolfe had always been serious about her health and fitness. As soon as her doctor gave her the green light to begin exercising again, she did.
"I feel a thousand times stronger, smarter, happier, better, more likable after I work out," she said.
Amid her health journey, Wolfe and Gosk's daughters got a front-row seat to their mom's resilience.
"What we wanted to show them and what we keep trying to teach them is this resiliency," Wolfe said.
Wolfe said later this summer, she has one more procedure ahead of her. She plans to get breast implants.
Understanding BRCA Mutations
The Value of Resilience Amid a Health Battle
Jenna Wolfe used her health journey to help build resilience not just for herself but for her daughters. Resilience is an important trait to have in the face of adversity such as cancer.
According to the American Psychological Association, "the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced." In other words, resilience is not something you're born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.
WATCH: Resilience: Staying Positive Despite Adversity
In the film "Resilience," now streaming on SurvivorNet. the lives of three athletes who are living with a health challenge are spotlighted.
Jerad Fischer is a mountain biker despite having his leg amputated in an accident. Lindsey Runkel and Dan Soller also suffered tough injuries, yet they didn't let it stop them from pursuing their passions.
The film shows how they used their resilience to overcome adversity facing them.
You can build resilience the way you build muscle through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller:
- Be willing to learn. If one way doesn't work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it.
- Spend time with people who inspire you.
- Allow yourself to grieve. Don't push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Give yourself grace when your emotions run high.
- Be flexible. Understand there are multiple ways to accomplish a goal. If your original method does not work, find another.
- Lean into your community. Consider using your support group made up of your friends, colleagues, and family. Remember when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you.
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