Plus: Women, Young Adults Experience Fatigue More Often, Says CDC
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
|
|
|
| From Personal Bravery to Public Advocacy |
| What a 37-year-old mother’s BRCA2 discovery teaches us about listening to our bodies and protecting our families. |
Happy weekend, Healthliners. I’m Robin Hough, Healthline’s Editor-in-Chief, and I’ll be joining our Head of News, Angela Chao, throughout the fall to bring you reflections on some of the biggest stories driving impact, engagement, and human interest across the world of health.
This week, we look at Marisa Stachelski’s story — a 37-year-old mother of two who was diagnosed with stage 1 colon cancer after experiencing persistent symptoms that she assumed were digestive in nature and linked to dairy and gluten intolerances.
Marisa underwent surgery to successfully remove the tumor, only for testing to later reveal a BRCA2 mutation - a genetic carrier that can significantly increase the risk of several cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer.
In addition to choosing risk-reducing surgery, including a double mastectomy and fallopian tube removal, Marisa has used her experience to look outward, leaning into advocacy, charting her journey on Instagram, and launching the BRCA and Beyond podcast, all in a bid to empower others to get early diagnoses and to better understand their family history with cancer through genetic testing.
“It gives meaning to my story and goes beyond just me, my family, my inner circle,” she says. “It’s an outlet, a resource for other people. The cancer risk took my fertility, but I created my own baby.”
While powerful stories like Marisa’s - of loss, of personal bravery, and of advocacy for others in the fight against cancer - are not necessarily uncommon, they never fail to inspire, and to remind us that health is both a deeply personal and a deeply connected journey that we are all on.
I hope you’re as inspired reading Marisa’s story as I was - let me know what you think, including your own inspiring stories, by emailing me.
Angela will be back next time with more highlights from Healthline. In the meantime, wishing you a very healthy week ahead! |
 |
| Robin Hough |
| Editor-in-Chief |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Until next time, |
 |
Take care of yourself, and we'll
see you again soon! |
|
|
View in browser
Did a friend send you this email? Subscribe here.
To see all newsletters, click here.
Privacy | Update Preferences or Unsubscribe
We may feature your messages to our inbox within our content. Please do not provide any personal identifiable information. Replies may be edited for length and clarity. For more, see our Privacy Policy.
Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Healthline does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a healthcare professional. Healthline encourages you to make any treatment decisions with your healthcare professional.
Every product we recommend has gone through either Healthline's or Optum Now's vetting processes. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission or other tangible benefit. Healthline has sole editorial control over this newsletter. Potential uses for the products listed here are not health claims made by the manufacturers. Healthline and Optum Now are owned by RVO Health.
We may feature your messages to our inbox within our content. Please do not provide any personal identifiable information. Replies may be edited for length and clarity. For more, see our Privacy Policy.
Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Healthline does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a healthcare professional. Healthline encourages you to make any treatment decisions with your healthcare professional.
Every product we recommend has gone through either Healthline’s or Optum Now’s vetting processes. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission or other tangible benefit. Healthline has sole editorial control over this newsletter. Potential uses for the products listed here are not health claims made by the manufacturers. Healthline and Optum Now are owned by RVO Health.
© 2026 RVO Health
1101 Red Ventures Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29707 |
|
If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.
