To celebrate Earth Day, April 22, Pierce Brosnan — who survived the loss of his first wife, daughter, and mother-in-law to ovarian cancer — honors Dr. Jane Goodall, 86, “whose life and work shine as a beacon of hope during these trying times.”
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Read MoreBrosnan credits his wife, Keely Shaye Smith, with inspiring his green activism. Brosnan, who was quiet during the early days of quarantine, has begun sending comforting dispatches from his art
studio, surrounded by his own paintings: “How are you doing out there in this crazy world? ” he asked, before reading an inspiring letter from a “Hopi indigenous elder” and sharing his support for Hope From Home, a digital fundraiser to fight the impact of COVID-19 on his Instagram.
View this post on InstagramDr. Ursula Matulonis, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on genetic testing for ovarian cancer.
Ovarian Cancer: “We Really Had A Fight On Our Hands”
Brosnan has spoken openly about how deeply he was affected by the loss of his first wife, Cassandra. "From day one, we really had a fight on our hands,” he has said of facing the disease. “This wasn't a shadow or a small tumor this had invaded Cassie's being," Brosnan told Esquire in a 2017 interview.
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The actor added that all he could do was support his wife as she "took her destiny in her own hands." During Brosnan’s marriage to Cassandra, he adopted her
Dr. Ursula Matulonis, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on genetic testing for ovarian cancer.
daughter Charlotte. In 2013, Charlotte also passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 41. Cassandra's mother also died of the disease.
"I don't look at the cup as half full, believe me. The dark, melancholy Irish black dog sits beside me from time to time," Brosnan told Esquire. The Irish-American actor just celebrated his 26th wedding anniversary to Keely Shaye Smith, credits her with helping him find a path out of his grief. And he regularly updates his social media with photos of his children (and granddaughter!) with captions about how proud he is of them.
RELATED: Pierce Brosnan, a Role Model for Finding Joy After Cancer, Celebrates His Granddaughter on Instagram
And he regularly updates his social media with photos of his children (and granddaughter!) with captions about how proud he is of them.
Genetic Testing For Ovarian Cancer
While we don't know the specifics of the Brosnans' case, we do know that a lot of women carry genetic mutations that put them at higher risk for ovarian cancer.
Experts urge women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, to seek genetic testing at the time of diagnosis, not recurrence. A recent study found that too few women are being tested for mutations of the BRCA gene, like BRCA1 or BRCA2 both can place people at a heightened risk for breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
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However, in the U.S., 90 percent of people who carry a BRCA gene mutation aren't aware of it until someone in their family gets cancer.
These gene mutations are commonly passed down among family members. In fact, if one of your blood relatives is found to carry a BRCA gene mutation, there's a 50-50 chance you could be carrying it, too.
Since BRCA mutations aren't found on the X or Y sex chromosome, you're just as likely to inherit the risks of cancers associated with BRCA from your father as you are from your mother.
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