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.