DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 15

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JFAMILY

BRCA2 mutation. When such
mutations are detected, the next
steps are to meet with a team
of genetic counselors to learn
the next steps of preventative
intervention. That can mean
more frequent and earlier-in-life
cancer screenings, preventative
surgeries and even emerging
medical treatments, such as a
new class of drugs called PARP
inhibitors, that have dramati-
cally progressed over the last 15
years, she said.
“(Genetic mutation testing)
information not only allows us
to do early detection for cancer,
but also we now have better
treatments that target the BRCA
mutations,
” Zakalik said. “So, if
a woman with a BRCA muta-
tion happens to get breast, ovar-
ian and even pancreatic cancer,
we can actually take advantage
of the molecular vulnerability
of that cancer due to the BRCA
mutation and treat patients with
this new class of drugs.
“So, genetic screening has
come full circle. At first, detect-
ing the BRCA mutations was all
about detection and prevention.
But we have taken it to the next

level of treatment, which is very
targeted, so I am very hopeful
about this.
”
The impetus for JScreen
Detroit came from Bloomfield
Hills resident Lacey Foon. After
she, her mother and aunt were
diagnosed with breast cancer,
Foon, 34, said she does not
want a single person in the
Detroit Jewish com-
munity to be with-
out the power-
ful, life-saving
knowledge
that comes
with hered-
itary cancer
screenings.
In 2014, Foon’s
mother, Carol
Ziecik of Bloomfield
Hills, was diagnosed with breast
cancer when she was in her late
50s. Ziecik decided to have a
double mastectomy and the day
before her surgery, discovered
through genetic screening she
carried the BRCA1 gene muta-
tion although her sister, who
had a different type of breast
cancer years prior, did not carry
the mutation.

According to the Susan
Komen Foundation, among
Ashkenazi Jewish men
and women, about 1 in 40
have a BRCA mutation and
8-10 % of Ashkenazi Jewish
women diagnosed with breast
cancer in the U.S. have the gene
mutation.
In 2015, undergoing her
own genetic screening,
Foon discovered
she also carried
the BRCA1
mutation. The
screening
results were
accompanied
by consultations
with breast care
specialists who
helped her design a
long-term health plan.
At the time, she was in her
late 20s. Her doctors advised
that she should be vigilant
with cancer screenings but the
chances of being diagnosed
with cancer sooner than her
late 40s were low. Foon planned
to have a preventative double
mastectomy and her ovaries
removed by the age of 40, as the

BRCA1 mutation increases one’s
risk for ovarian cancer as well.
In 2019, she had twin girls
Eloise and Phoebe. When the
twins were 19 months old, and
a month after a physical exam,
Foon found a cancerous lump
in her breast.
While this frightening diag-
nosis shattered the timeline
Foon’s doctors provided her
with, it was her understanding
of her BRCA gene mutation that
allowed her to quickly create an
educated strategy to battle the
cancer.
“Within six days of finding
the lump, I was in the oncol-
ogist’s office, making a plan,
”
Foon said. “Yes, it was unfor-
tunate that I knew I carried the
gene mutation, was diligently
completing cancer screenings,
and still got cancer earlier than
I expected. However, the fact
that I knew I had the mutation
and knew this was something to
look out for was instrumental
in my early detection. The edu-
cation I received from the time
I learned I carried the mutation
was instrumental in knowing
which medical professionals I

continued on page 16

Mikki Frank, senior director Jfamily; Lacey Foon, chair, JScreen Detroit Committee; Rachael Gerstein,
JScreen Detroit Coordinator; and Stephanie Erez, Jfamily director.