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Winter 2007
Contents
Welcome
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Welcome: Eight Years and Counting
by Sue Friedman
Every winter I wax nostalgic about FORCE. Ten years ago when I was diagnosed at 33 with breast cancer, my goal was to simply get through treatment. Learning I had a BRCA2 mutation made me want more: I hoped to move on and rejoin my life in progress as a mother, wife and veterinarian.
Then I discovered the Internet, a place to find support as I dealt with the issues of my cancer and genetic status. A world of people dealing with cancer opened before me. But something was missing. I found no single resource specifically for hereditary cancer. Naively confident, I set out to create a message board to fill the gap. I didn’t know if anyone would show up, but I felt I could make a difference. Astonishingly, our message boards were soon heavily visited. The FORCE community was born and I discovered a new role: advocate.
New Years Eve marks FORCE’s 8th Anniversary. We’ve grown and accomplished so much. Our website receives over 50,000 visits each month. Our message boards offer the largest database of personal experiences from the high-risk community. Joining FORCEs has a circulation of 7,000, and we’re busy planning our second Joining FORCEs conference.
Now we have a community and a home, and we’re well on our way. 2007 holds exciting possibilities for FORCE. We hope it does for you too.
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