THE MEMOIR

A missing “T” haunted me.

At twenty-four, I learned I had a fifty-percent chance of having BRCA, a genetic mutation that elevated my risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Knowing I eventually wanted kids, the decisions around getting tested raised a plethora of questions that were new to my generation in 2010. I struggled in my search for answers, but found very little that offered comfort.  

Nipples Cost Extra: A BRCA Memoir (working title) is the story of what happens when you decide to know — and then have to live with knowing. It’s for anyone sitting with a decision that has no right answer, loving someone who is, or simply trying to find the absurd and the human in the hardest moments of their life.

Reading other people’s BRCA stories has given me the courage to write and share my own. I am beyond the sixth draft of the manuscript and actively seeking a publisher. Sign up below to be the first to know when it’s ready.

Published Essays

While the memoir finds its home, these essays give you a taste of the journey, and my voice.

“The Worst Day Of My Life Was My Kids’ Best Day“
Published 5/11/26 in Scary Mommy.
“Just get through the next moment became my mantra, even if that moment was as tiny as spreading jam on toast.”

“Itching Not Covered: Insurance Might Deny My Body, But I Never Will“
Published 11/14/25 in The Examined Life Journal: A Literary Publication of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
“Now I could swim into my future without slowing down to scratch.”

“Messy Moments: Honoring the Anniversaries of My Cancer Risk Reduction Journey“
Published 10/27/25 in The Peak – by The Breasties.
“Knowing my high-risk status now acts as a lens through which I view and experience the world. It’s part of me, integrated into my reality, just as every medical experience shapes the people we become.”