Our Mission and Impact
Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families facing hereditary cancer.

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About Us > Our Mission and Impact

Dedicated to Improving Lives

FORCE improves the lives of the millions of individuals and families facing hereditary breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, colorectal and endometrial cancers. Our community includes people with a BRCA, ATM, PALB2, CHEK2, PTEN or other inherited gene mutation and those diagnosed with Lynch syndrome. We accomplish this through our education, support, advocacy and research efforts.

We are dedicated to providing up to date, expert-reviewed information and resources that help people make informed medical decisions. Our strong, supportive community of peers and professionals ensures no one must face hereditary cancer alone. FORCE serves as a champion, unifying the community and advocating for awareness, access to care, and better treatment and prevention options.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are core values for our organization that provide a path to improving health outcomes for all members of our community.  We have built these values into all aspects of the organization, including our operations, strategic plans and programs. Read More.

For more on our impact, please view our latest Annual Report.

 

Meet Our Community

June 07, 2024

I am Because My Mom Was

by Maggie Wickman Growing up, the BRCA1 mutation was always talked about in my house. I knew about it from a very early age, and I saw my mom endure preventive surgeries way before I knew the significance of how it would affect me one...

July 27, 2023

"An Individual Doesn't Get Cancer, a Family Does"

by Mark A. Hicks Odd how a quote can catch your attention, and you are not quite sure why. However, you soon forget about it until it vividly comes back to mind one day when it profoundly applies to your life. The headline for this blog is a...

July 17, 2023

Reverse the Curse

by Sheila Adams Gardner I have long suspected that genetics were behind the half-dozen cancer-related deaths in my family. Nevertheless, I was shocked when my genetic test results revealed that I carry a wayward gene that puts me at high risk for...

July 10, 2023

Song Turns a Curse into a Blessing

by Lalena Fisher From mother to daughter to daughter’s daughter: a mutation of the BRCA gene binds us together along with our love. Is it a blessing or a curse? That dreaded lab report—“Positive for a deleterious...

April 03, 2023

BRCA1 On Top of Lynch Syndrome, An Unexpected Finding for Our Family

My mother died when I was 19. I knew she had cancer, but I didn’t even know what cancer was. I just knew that I was 19 and without a mother. I was 42, married (still am) with two daughters, ages 11 and 13, when my cousin, who is a...

March 14, 2023

Clinical Trials for BRCA2 Pancreatic and Prostate Cancer and Collaboration between Cancer Centers Saved My Life—Twice!

by Scott Nelson I come from a family with a BRCA2 genetic mutation. My Mom tested positive for the mutation in 2001. Her mother and grandmother both died from cancer at a relatively young age. I was tested in 2002 and found to be positive for the...