Leandra Medine on Getting Tested for the Breast Cancer Gene in Your 20s—And How to Live With the Results

At 27, Man Repeller founder Leandra Medine is the picture of health. But she has spent much of her life grappling with the effects of a particularly devastating illness: breast cancer. Medine’s maternal grandmother died from the disease, while her mother’s sister battled and survived both breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother, like her aunt, tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation, which dramatically increases a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers (a trait that made headlines when Angelina Jolie had a preventative double mastectomy because of it). With her family history in mind, Medine decided to get tested herself at an unusually young age—and found that she, too, was a carrier.

To Medine, the information didn’t represent a setback but, rather, an opportunity: to get a new audience talking about—and taking precautions to prevent breast cancer—one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. To that end, she has joined forces with The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, founded by the late Evelyn H. Lauder, which has over the past 24 years raised more than $65 million for research, education, and medical services worldwide. Medine is sharing her story as part of the organization’s annual initiative—which includes workshops, seminars, and other educational outreach—to diversify the conversation surrounding breast cancer, and to continue to raise funds (this year, the goal is another $6 million).

Medine spoke with Vogue.com about her personal experience and health strategy, and why she thinks everyone should get tested for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

How has breast cancer impacted your family?
It’s been a pretty dramatic effect. I didn’t actually even really know my grandmother; I must have been 3 or 4 when she died. My mom must have been 28 or 29. My mom has three sisters. Two of them are not affected. She and one sister are.

What did your mother do about her result?
My mom was really smart about it. She tested positive [for the BRCA gene mutation] after my aunt tested positive, and immediately after the birth of her fourth child she had her ovaries removed [as a preventative measure against both breast and ovarian cancers]. It’s a challenging surgery and immediately makes you feel you’re parting with a sense of your own womanhood, but my mom is an incredibly strong woman and never saw it that way.

Why did you decide to get tested in your 20s, at a time when most women aren’t thinking about breast cancer?
My mom didn’t want me to get tested. She was like, “What’s the point, you can’t take your ovaries out, you want to have kids,” but I thought, at least I’ll know and I can share it with my doctors. It seemed like a no-brainer. I didn’t see the value in not knowing that I carried the gene, too. It wasn’t really a conscious decision; my doctor just asked me one day if I wanted to get tested, and I said yes. She called me a few days later and told me I tested positive.

How did you react to the result?
I didn’t really have a reaction. I wasn’t told that I had cancer; I was told that I had knowledge to prevent future cancer in my body. I don’t feel like I’m any different from anyone else. If anything, I now feel grateful that I have the wisdom to move forward.

In what ways are you moving forward?
When you’re positive, the rules mean having yourself tested four times a year. Two times with a breast specialist and two times with a sonogram. I must have been 24, 25 when I got tested. So I’ve been having quarterly checkups for the past three years. It’s not that big of a deal, really. The fact that I know I carry this means I have an advantage when I go to the doctor. So I won’t be caught by surprise. If you detect it early enough, it’s fully treatable. Just because I carry this gene doesn’t mean I’m going to die from breast cancer.

Have you considered having surgery?
No, I’m 27 and I would like to have a very big family. This has just pushed me to get going on the process. I am quite ready for a child, but it’s taking a long time. I did a cycle of IVF, so in the event I were to be affected before I was finished having children, I have the insurance of my own gene-carrying embryos.

Has this experience made you feel a greater sense of your own mortality?
I’m definitely not putting myself in a grave. It doesn’t necessarily mean these cancer genes are going to divide maniacally and create tumors. It’s not a death sentence to be told you have this gene. It’s a huge misconception. Everything’s fine. I’m a fully functioning 27-year-old woman.

Why did you decide to join the BCA campaign?
When the opportunity presented itself to me, I was eager to get involved. I was honored and delighted that they would even think of me. When you have a voice, you also have a moral obligation to use that voice for good. I’m someone very comfortable airing out the stories of my own life. Some people call it narcissism, but for me the intention is that it will positively affect other people.

How do you hope your story affects people?
It’s just about normalizing the conversation. My goal is never to push anyone to do anything other than think. But I definitely would just say that you shouldn’t be afraid to get tested. It doesn’t change anything. It just gives you knowledge that will help you toward a safer and hopefully longer future. Knowledge is power, right?

 

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