My Cancer Had To Be More Than Just 'Bad Luck'

Annie Parker knew that the breast cancer diagnoses haunting her family were more than "just bad luck." First her mother, then her older sister Joan, and then Annie herself - all diagnosed with breast cancer. And in 1980 there was little talk of genetics as it related to the disease. But Annie knew her risk and almost felt relieved when she was diagnosed - her suspicions were seemingly correct. At the same time, a geneticist at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Mary-Claire King, was researching the genetic roots of breast cancer, essentially mapping the breast cancer gene, which was later discovered to be BRCA1.

Annie's life story was the inspiration for the 2013 film, Decoding Annie Parker. I connected with the real Annie via video chat from Toronto to discuss her story. My oh my, how times have changed.