Welcome to the simulation titled Let's Talk: Sharing Info About Your Family Cancer Risk. This is a transcript of the simulation designed for screen readers.
This virtual simulation was designed to help people with known cancer risk learn how to talk about cancer risk that may run in their family. They will practice bringing this topic up with a family member and helping them make good decisions about their health.
Pic 0: A mother, named Sofia, and her daughter, Sydney, are seated around their kitchen table.
SOFIA: Okay, so, you know we've had people in our family who've had breast cancer. Your Aunt Rose. My cousin, Jenny.
SYDNEY: And Grandpa.
SOFIA: That's right. Your Grandpa, too. Remember, when he got diagnosed, we talked about how it's rare for a man to get breast cancer, and we wondered if, maybe, it runs in our family.
SYDNEY: Um, mom? Where are you going with this?
SOFIA: You probably know from school that genes are… they make up who we are, and they get passed down in the family. (Sofia nods) Grandpa got tested and found out that one of his genes is different. He was born with a mutation that probably caused his cancer. So he suggested that I get tested for the same mutation, and I found out I have it.
SYDNEY: Does that mean… you’ll get cancer?
SOFIA: It makes me more likely get certain cancers, but it’s not a sure thing. And I’m telling you this because you get half your genes from me, and half from your dad.
SYDNEY: So… I could have the… mutation… too?
SOFIA: (nods) Yeah.
SYDNEY: Mom, I, wow. I don't know what to say.
Pic 1: Scene changes to another woman who is seated in a living room background. She faces the learner. A name card appears to the bottom left that reads: “Linda: Breast Cancer Survivor”.
LINDA: Hi. I'm Linda, a breast cancer survivor, and I've had to have a lot of conversations like this with my family. Sent a lot of emails and letters, even had some group calls. About health risks that might run in the family and what we can do about them. I don't know that I've always handled it perfectly, but I’m happy to share what I’ve learned along the way.
How about you? How ready are you to talk to your relatives about health risks that might run in the family?
The options are:
Player chooses the response option: “Very ready.”
LINDA: Good for you! I wish I’d been that ready!
And how confident are you that you could handle that conversation well?
The options are:
Player chooses the response option: “Somewhat confident.”
LINDA: Yeah, it’s a lot to think about.
Maybe a good place to start today is… imagine someone you might talk to about an increased risk of cancer. What would you say first?
The options are:
Player chooses the response option: “I learned some info that could help us make better choices about our health.”
LINDA: Good call!
The thing I learned is, we want to be careful to be positive.
Pic 2: On the left side, an icon of a thumbs up appears next to the words “Be positive”.
LINDA: This news can already be hard to hear, and we should try not to make it seem even worse than it is. Instead, we can focus on how info about our health is helpful. Like “I learned some info that could help us make better choices about our health.”
Pic 3: The words “Focus on helpful information” appears on the right side. These words then get replaced by the quoted example above in blue quotation marks.
LINDA: Because knowing more about your chances of getting different cancers does help you make better choices. There are ways to manage those risks.
So after you shared some info, what would you do next?
The options are:
Player chooses the response option: Ask how they're doing with all this.
LINDA: Great idea.
Not everyone will be ready to hear everything all at once. After you’ve shared some info, it helps to stop and see how they're doing. You could ask “How are you doing with all this?”
A lot of times, people are doing okay and they just need a sec to take it in. Other times, they might be wrestling with a strong reaction.