There are more ways than ever to dig into your genetic makeup, whether in a medical
setting or at home with a test you ordered online. But what happens if you find out that
your genes put you at greater risk of hereditary cancer? Navigating a family history of
cancer and trying to determine what it means for you is a heavy weight to carry alone.
The terms can be confusing, the questions can seem overwhelming, and the medical
decisions might feel daunting. Finding credible guidance and people who truly
understand your experience makes all the difference.
These are a few of the many reasons FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered)
exists.
Almost 27 years ago, FORCE’s founder, Sue Friedman, learned she carries a BRCA2
mutation and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She built FORCE because she needed
a community that didn’t exist at the time. Today, many of the organization’s team
members have a personal connection to hereditary cancer. For people who face a new
gene mutation diagnosis or cancer caused by a gene mutation, we understand where
you are physically and emotionally. In many cases, we’ve been there too.
Growing with the Science
When FORCE started, BRCA1 and BRCA2 were the primary genes on everyone’s
radar. Since then, the field has changed dramatically, and FORCE has evolved right
along with it. Today, our community includes people with a personal or family history of
cancer, Lynch syndrome, inherited mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, CHEK2, PALB2,
and in other genes linked to cancer. Many in our community have an inherited mutation
or elevated risk but have not had cancer. FORCE coined the term “previvor” to give this
group their own identity and a sense of belonging.
Perhaps most critically, we work to reach the estimated 90% of people living with an
inherited mutation who don’t yet know it. Because knowledge really can save lives.
Serving Our Community
FORCE’s work is organized around five core program areas: education, public policy,
research, support, and partnerships. We provide up-to-date, expert-reviewed
information and resources that help people make informed medical decisions. We also
serve as the champion and de facto voice of the hereditary cancer and previvor
community, unifying while advocating for awareness, access to care, and better
treatment and prevention options.
But the best way to understand FORCE is to see it in action. Here are just a few of the
ways we support, encourage, and enable our community:
We host monthly virtual support groups, organized by gene mutation, community, or
steps for making a surgical decision. We have groups to match everyone’s needs:
distinctive groups for breast cancer survivors, people in treatment, one specifically for
Black and African American community members, and many more.
We are here to help, wherever you are in the hereditary cancer, high-risk experience.
Anyone is welcome to join. Just listen in, if that’s how you’re most comfortable. Or, ask
questions—when you do, you’ll likely find out that you’re not the only one who wants to
know the answer. By just listening or participating, you’ll likely also learn about
questions you haven’t yet thought about! More importantly, we provide the answers to
those questions.
FORCE also established the first National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week
and National Hereditary Cancer Week to serve as an annual rallying cry to raise
awareness. We host regular Ask the Experts webinars that bring hereditary cancer
specialists directly to our community. Recent sessions have covered everything from
gynecologic cancer risk and prevention to the latest in targeted therapies.
Our XRAY program breaks down cancer research headlines in the media, assessing
what the science says versus what the news coverage implies. XRAY reports connect
the dots in a way that is factual, credible, and easy to understand.
On the policy side, FORCE actively works to improve coverage for genetic testing,
supplemental screenings, and cancer therapies at the state and federal levels. It is
important to us to be a steady, strong voice advocating for awareness, access to care,
research for better prevention and treatment options, and, ultimately, a cure.
Research participation today shapes the options that exist tomorrow. FORCE makes it
easier for our community to get involved through our Search and Enroll Tool, matching
people to clinical trials and research studies. It provides plain-language explanations of
what each study involves, who qualifies, and how to get connected.
You’re Why We’re Here
Partners like For the Breast of Us are essential to FORCE’s mission. The hereditary
cancer community is incredibly diverse, and no single organization can do the work
alone. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, making a medical decision, or simply trying to
understand how hereditary cancer impacts your family, FORCE is here to help you
along the way.
Visit us at facingourrisk.org. No one should have to face hereditary cancer alone.
