Bearing it all

Every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer
““ the leading cause of death for women between 40 and 55,
according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Allison, a 38-year-old woman on NBC’s daytime reality show
“Starting Over,” knows this statistic only too well.
The show, which began about eight months ago, revolves around
various women with difficult life issues who come together to live
under one roof with the goal of working through their problems.
Aided by a “life coach,” (a sort of guide and counselor
who assists in the healing process), the women explore and resolve
their issues, and typically leave the house ready to “start
over” in their own lives. And while much of the drama occurs
in the house, recently the spotlight has spilled over to areas of
UCLA.

One of the women currently in the house, Allison, has early
onset breast cancer in addition to a family history of the disease.
She has since undergone radiation, breast reconstruction, and many
other treatments, but it was while working with her life coach
Iyanla on the show that she decided to pursue genetic
counseling.

“Allison is a very sweet, very thoughtful patient, and she
really had given this a lot of thought even prior to coming to
genetic counseling,” said Joyce Seldon, Allison’s
genetic counselor at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer
Center. “I think that’s the most important thing to
think about, for patients to consider how will genetic testing
benefit them.”

A woman with breast cancer who decides to undergo genetic
testing, like Allison, will be tested for mutations in her genetic
chromosomes. Being genetically predisposed to the disease often can
lead to increased risks of developing breast cancer and even
certain other types of cancer, such as ovarian.

Seldon’s job is to deliver the genetic test results to her
patients, which can be a daunting task, not to mention having the
added pressure of bright lights and cameras around you. Though the
cameras could be distracting, Seldon quickly adjusted, centering
all her attention on Allison.

“At first it’s awkward because there are other
people in the room, but at the end of the day, I think you can put
that aside,” Seldon said. “I tune it out so that I can
focus on Allison. That was my primary goal that day because really
it’s about her.”

Because the show is filmed in Los Angeles, Allison was given
access to premier facilities, such as UCLA’s Jonsson
Comprehensive Cancer Center. Through the show and its connections,
she got involved in a breast cancer support group led by
UCLA’s Dr. Anne Coscarelli, met with a breast surgeon, and
received genetic counseling from Seldon. But how much of a
“reality” is it when other women don’t have such
access to these opportunities?

Despite this element of fantasy, Seldon feels that
“Starting Over” is better than most reality shows out
there.

“From my impression of “˜Starting Over,’ it
looks like the show really did try to help (Allison),” Seldon
said. “I think they did a pretty fair job of trying to get
her resources.”

Seldon also feels that although the show was an obvious breach
of patient confidentiality ““ Allison’s medical history
was being broadcast on national television for the entire world to
see ““ the benefits of viewers receiving this kind of
information about breast cancer and genetic testing is
invaluable.

“By (Allison) having the courage to reveal that, basically
there are other women out there that could be informed about this
and potentially do something about it,” Seldon said.
“We do the test (so that) we can hopefully reduce the risk of
either first primary cancers or secondary cancers for people who
are unaware that genetic testing is available.”

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