Previve Comes to H Street

I received an email letting me know about an interesting event on H Street. I think the announcement explains it best, so here you go:

I'm hosting a happy hour this Saturday, April 2nd at Smith Commons on H Street from 5:00-7:00pm to support my documentary film project about my preventative mastectomy and hereditary breast/ovarian cancer (www.previve.com). We will be raffling off certificates and items from Aveda, Sprinkles, Lululemon, and the Washington Sports Club. It will be a cash bar with a suggested $5 donation upon entrance.

 PREVIVE is a documentary web series that chronicles my extraordinary journey to defy my destiny by undergoing a major surgery: the removal of my health breasts. Due to my defective BRCA-1 gene, I have a lifetime risk of 85% for breast cancer and 60% for ovarian cancer, which is the deadliest and hardest to detect in women. Even though I'm only 23 years old, I decided I didn't want to wait for cancer, so I had a preventative mastectomy in January 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital and officially became a previvor, rather than a survivor, of breast cancer. I've found that knowledge is power, and I hope this film spurs a movement – the previving movement – to help people facing unexpected health challenges take control of their lives and reduce their risk of disease. To see our trailor and our current webisodes, please visit our at www.previve.com.

Since my team and I began filming in June 2010, I've been featured in the Ladies Home Journal, NBC Nightly News and interviewed live on NBC's Today Show. Through these appearances, PREVIVE has reached hundreds of Americans across the country. One young woman wrote on our website: "You inspire me. I'm 22 and just got diagnosed BRCA1+. I am so happy I found your blog; I feel so empowered in knowing others nearly my age are making these choices too."