AUBREY KEPES

... on her new outlook

In the fall of 2013 — right before my wedding — we learned that my father had breast cancer. When testing revealed he was a carrier for the BRCA2 mutation, my siblings and I were encouraged to also get tested; my twin brother Zack and I learned we were positive. At my second screening, something didn’t look right, and I was called back for a needle biopsy, which confirmed cancer of the right breast. Here we were, thinking we were on top of being high-risk by electing to have a prophylactic mastectomy later that year, but sadly it wasn’t soon enough.

After a double mastectomy, two breast reconstructions and an oophorectomy (ovarian removal), I’m on my way to getting back to my new normal — but the most important acknowledgement is the acceptance that I’ll never be my pre-cancerous self again. As I continue to heal, my mantra is to be patient and accepting of my physical, spiritual and emotional limitations. It doesn’t come without its challenges, but I try to focus on one thing at a time — balancing challenges while celebrating small triumphs.

The experience has afforded me a new outlook on life. I’ve reframed the way I see my world; now, so much seems trivial. I’m no longer sweating the small stuff, and, rather than continue to harp on my diagnosis and surgeries, I choose to be grateful that I was equipped with this information early on. I truly believe information is power, and in my case, my father saved my life. Now, I try to live in the moment and treat each day as an actual gift. I live by the quote, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a present.”