Amy Comander's Fundraiser for NYC Marathon

Dear Friends and Family,

I am excited to share with you that I am an official member of Team Sharsheret for the 2023 TCS NYC Marathon!

As a breast oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, it is particularly meaningful for me to run in support of Sharsheret, a national non-profit organization that supports women and families who are at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer, as well as those diagnosed with these diseases. With my run, I hope to raise awareness about the one-in-forty risk to the Ashkenazi Jewish population of inheriting a BRCA gene mutation, so these genetic mutations can be identified early, and therefore significantly reduce the risk for the development of breast and ovarian cancers.

I am honored to run in memory of Lauren Corduck, a woman who has inspired me and so many others. In 2016 at the age of 45, Lauren sought genetic counseling and screening on a friend’s urging. The screening–a simple blood test–showed that she had inherited a mutation in her BRCA1 gene from her father, putting her at much higher risk than the general population of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Lauren’s genetic counselor advised her to have surgery that would have reduced her risk of developing ovarian cancer. However, around the same time, Lauren had an MRI of her back to determine the cause of severe back pain she had been experiencing. The MRI revealed an incidental finding of what turned out to be Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

Given her family history of breast cancer and her Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, if Lauren had learned about her BRCA1 mutation earlier, she could have taken steps to lower her risk, or identify her cancer earlier. In 2020, after years of treatments, Lauren, just 49 years old, passed away peacefully. Lauren was compassionate, giving, smart, fierce, generous, loving, and showed us all that with determination and action you can make a difference.

While undergoing her treatment, Lauren discovered that most American Jews of eastern and central European descent, like her, are not aware of the one-in-forty chance of having a mutation in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that puts them at much higher risk than the general population of developing ovarian cancer, breast cancer (male or female), and/or prostate cancer. Lauren set out on a mission to educate the community, healthcare providers, and policymakers about the one-in-forty risk to the Ashkenazi Jewish population of inheriting a BRCA gene mutation because she wanted to help families avoid the situation she and her family found themselves in.

By running the 2023 NYC Marathon for Sharshetet, it is my goal to honor Lauren and her important mission to raise awareness and stop BRCA-related cancer in its tracks.

As a member of Team Sharsheret, I have pledged to raise funds in support of Sharsheret's breast cancer and ovarian cancer programs and services. Thank you for your support as I take on this challenge!

With gratitude,

Amy Comander MD