Christina Applegate talks about the BRCA gene.

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The day after her diagnosis, Christina says she went in to see an oncologist and a surgeon. "I'm a Sagittarius," she says. "We need things done now. So, for me, I had to get in now, and I wanted to have my surgery now."

Within a week, Christina had her first lumpectomy. Doctors also did a biopsy of her lymph nodes to make sure the cancer hadn't spread. Since the cancer was caught early on, Christina was told she'd need six weeks of radiation instead of chemotherapy.

Then, she received more life-changing news. A test for the BRCA gene—also known as the "breast cancer gene"—came back positive. "That sort of changed everything for me," she says. "Radiation was something temporary, and it wasn't addressing the issue of this coming back or the chance of it coming back in my left breast. I sort of had to kind of weigh all my options at that point."

Christina was given two options...go forward with the radiation treatments and continue testing for the rest of her life or have both breasts removed.
As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.