Genetic Counselor to Speak to Breast Cancer Discussion Group

Rayma Scalzo

If you have been recently diagnosed with or are a longtime survivor of breast cancer, you will want to attend our Breast Cancer Discussion Group meeting on March 26.

Justin Gasparini, MS will be our speaker. He is an oncology genetic counselor at Banner University Medical Center. He did his graduate training at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Genetic counselors have advanced training in medical genetics and counseling. They use their knowledge to guide and support patients who have a personal or family history of cancer to assess the chance for inherited disease, individuals’ cancer risk, and to plan treatment or prevention using genetic testing.

Mr. Gasparini’s primary objectives for his presentation are to define genetic counseling, define genetic testing, discuss differences between sporadic cancer vs. familial or hereditary cancer, discuss what genes are tested and how results are provided, and explain how test results help make informed choices about health care. This will be a very informative presentation and we are very lucky to have Mr. Gasparini speak to our group.

On another note, one of the challenges our group faces is reaching residents before they undergo treatment. We have a wonderful pillow (provided by the PebbleCreek Quilters) which provides comfort while recovering from surgery. To receive one, call the number below.

For time, location of the meeting, or to receive a pillow, please contact Rayma Scalzo at 623-935-1819 or send her an email at [email protected]. Many of our members go to Toscana’s Grill following the meeting to get to know each other better. Please plan on joining us for that too.