Donna and Jade Power & Yulia Baynham
Donna and Jade Power
- Founders and dedicated campaigners for the #NotJustBRCA movement
When they were diagnosed as carrying a PALB2 gene alteration, sisters Donna and Jade Power quickly realised that there was little to no awareness throughout the general public, and also within healthcare about the impact of this discovery.
If an individual has an alteration in the PALB2 gene, they have a 30% to 60% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, and a 50:50 chance of passing this to their children. Donna and Jade discovered the lack of awareness around PALB2 was also similar for all gene mutations outside of BRCA1 and 2, and decided that things had to change.
Together, they launched the ground-breaking global initiative ‘NOT JUST BRCA’ to raise awareness about all gene changes (mutations) linked to a higher risk of breast and other cancers. Their goal is to support women to be their own health advocates and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make informed choices to manage risk.
The movement collaborates with all charities and healthcare systems uniting their efforts to provide even greater support to the most vulnerable and high-risk patients. This includes working with the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to support with workshops for specialist breast care nurses, and also campaigning with leading brands across Breast Cancer Awareness Month and beyond. This October, their campaign motive is about considering your risks, and potentially saving your life.
Find out more about the Power sisters here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjustbrca/?hl=en
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086984391707
Twitter: https://twitter.com/notjustbrca
Yulia Baynham
- Dedicated campaigner for #NotJustBRCA and PALB2 Interest Group, advocate for hereditary breast cancer awareness
Yulia Baynham is a fellow carrier of PALB2 gene alteration who faced a breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. Yulia has dedicated her life's work to help develop more resources and the enhancement of tools aimed at facilitating risk assessment (CANRISK). This includes developing this helpful guidance (link) which is now a key resource for patients and widely used across the healthcare system.
Working closely with Donna and Jade Power, Yulia has campaigned tirelessly to support the ‘NOT JUST BRCA’ movement to raise awareness about PALB2 and gene alterations outside of BRCA 1 and BRCA 2.
You can find out more about Yulia’s incredible work at the PALB2 Interest Group below.
About PALB 2
The PALB2 gene is a tumour suppressor gene. and it works to protect against cancer by correcting damage that can occur in the DNA during cell division. If an individual has an alteration in the PALB2 gene, they have a high risk of developing breast cancer and, in some families, a small increase in their overall risks of ovarian and pancreatic cancer.
You can find out more on the PALB2 Interest Group website here: