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Musician and Cape Wellness Collaborative founder, Sarah Swain, 44, is photographed in her Harwich home with her three children, from left, Jessie, 10, Lucy, 12 and Stanley, 4. Sarah's mother, grandmother and uncle all passed away from cancer which was the impetus for starting Cape Wellness Collaborative--a non-profit organization that provides integrative wellness therapies for people on the Cape and Islands facing cancer. "Ironically, I never got around to getting mammograms, I think they subconsciously terrified me due to my family history. After admitting this to my board members, they pretty much forced me to get one," she explains. While Sarah's mammogram showed no signs of cancer, she was urged to get genetically tested and discovered she had the CALP2 gene, a rare gene mutation that carries the same risks for cancer as the BRCA2 gene. 'What to do with this information is a very personal decision," she explains. "After losing my mother to cancer when she was 52, it came down to me doing everything in my power to help ensure I am here for my kids," she says. Weeks before this photo was taken Sarah underwent a prophylactic double mastectomy and oophorectomy (removal of ovaries and tubes). Around the same time that Sarah found out about her genetic mutation, her husband, Steve, had a heart attack and also discovered he has a genetic heart defect. "He had to have surgery a few months before me and it was a very intense time for the family," she recalls. "It really makes you aware of what you hold most precious in life," she says. Sarah and her husband decided they needed to decompress and reconnect as a family by taking some time away from their lives. "We took six months and went on a sailing trip down the inter-coastal waterway then through Bahamas and homeschooled the kids," she explains. "It was amazing---the best thing we ever did as a family!" she adds.

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Julia Cumes
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Rise Above: Exploring the Many Faces of Breast Cancer on Cape Cod
Musician and Cape Wellness Collaborative founder, Sarah Swain, 44, is photographed in her Harwich home with her three children, from left, Jessie, 10, Lucy, 12 and Stanley, 4. Sarah's mother, grandmother and uncle all passed away from cancer which was the impetus for starting Cape Wellness Collaborative--a non-profit organization that provides integrative wellness therapies for people on the Cape and Islands facing cancer. "Ironically, I never got around to getting mammograms, I think they subconsciously terrified me due to my family history. After admitting this to my board members, they pretty much forced me to get one," she explains. While Sarah's mammogram showed no signs of cancer, she was urged to get genetically tested and discovered she had the CALP2 gene, a rare gene mutation that carries the same risks for cancer as the BRCA2 gene. 'What to do with this information is a very personal decision," she explains. "After losing my mother to cancer when she was 52, it came down to me doing everything in my power to help ensure I am here for my kids," she says. Weeks before this photo was taken Sarah underwent a prophylactic double mastectomy and oophorectomy (removal of ovaries and tubes). Around the same time that Sarah found out about her genetic mutation, her husband, Steve, had a heart attack and also discovered he has a genetic heart defect. "He had to have surgery a few months before me and it was a very intense time for the family," she recalls. "It really makes you aware of what you hold most precious in life," she says. Sarah and her husband decided they needed to decompress and reconnect as a family by taking some time away from their lives. "We took six months and went on a sailing trip down the inter-coastal waterway then through Bahamas and homeschooled the kids," she explains. "It was amazing---the best thing we ever did as a family!" she adds.