I have never written a movie review before but then again I never did a lot of things before stupid dumb breast cancer so here it goes (I will not reveal too much). Decoding Annie Parker was a movie about a woman and her life with cancer. PERIOD that is it end of story. Nope not at all it was so much more than that. It showed every aspect just enough to see a the real side of cancer. The heart break of Annie losing her grandmother, mother and sister, what chemo was like with a splash of humor "you are hot bald, one boob everyone wants you" and mostly wanting answers of why she got cancer. I think for almost everyone of us the why we got it the medical why is the answer we want so desperately. To see her work through this was incredible, inspiring even though that word seems so played out. Here is this woman living with cancer that is running like fire in her family being told it is "bad luck" she has no college degree in science only a high school diploma but she is ready to work with all she has on her gut belief that there is for a link.
Then there was Mary Claire King, a women doctor-genetics in the 70's. She was standing up to these male doctors who were laughing at her in a sense no way was there a "breast cancer gene". King did not get give up, she did not have google or a fast computer to research her info. What she had was a young team that believed in her and what she was about to prove! Two women both on a mission so prove there is a connection. How empowering for women of today? This is what we all should be doing sharing our stories to find connections.
Am I BRCA positive? No actually I am not. I may never know why I got breast cancer, could be this friggin environment, could be another gene or the damn skittles I ate who the hell knows and that pisses me off. But the fact is there are 1000's of genes and this is just one of many they will find more in the future. Here is another fact that BRCA gene is found in many other cancers-ovarian cancer rate is higher if you are BRCA positive. That is why I brought Hope for Heather in to this event because screening for ovarian is not like a MAMMO you need to know the facts, please check their site.
I can not make you go see it, I can not guarantee you won't cry but I you should go just bring some tissues or the box just on case. I did laugh because her humor was right and I can relate to that dry sense of joking at a difficult time when it should be, also Nikki was next to my dad and there is some crazy sex scenes AKWARD blaahahaha!! Do not walk away sad, I did a Q & A with Annie Parker that is not what she wants. She wants you to see the hope in the film. That if there was a Mary Claire working so hard to find the gene and an Annie to believe in her there are more! Look I am not a scientist so I will stick fund raising and spreading awareness, what can you do? There must be something right? Thanks so much to Scott for buying those extra tickets to ensure we get that movie here that is something! Thanks to my Philadelphia gals for coming up I loved that, just loved it. My girl Farah, at Syracuse Woman Magazine for coming to do a write up on a movie not just about someone's life but about real awareness, love this community. See nothing is too small. Just remember even shining my tiara and fluffing my boa is so important.
