Shave for the Brave News
Shaver profile: Krista Gates
Posted on Mar 03, 2010
Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) volunteer Krista Gates is amazing, and not just because she volunteers. Danette Dooley from the Telegram recently did an article on her personal story and connection to our cause, and we wanted to share it with you.
If you kept your copy of the Telegram from Saturday, February 27, 2010, you'll find the article in the Society section on page A9. We thought we'd go into just a bit more detail here.
Krista has been volunteering at various Shave for the Brave, Climb, and other events for YACC for a year now. She is super positive, motivated, organized, friendly: all the wonderful things a charity hopes for in a volunteer, and more! She has gone above and beyond in many instances and we just hope she knows how much we love her and appreciate the time and effort she contributes to our organization and the young adults we serve.
When Krista signed up online for this year's Shave for the Brave (she'll be donating 10 inches of hair for wigs for cancer patients) and wrote a personal message for her donors to read, we learned about another side of Krista's life.
Krista is 26-years old and has a condition called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). In fact, much of her family has FAP. It is a genetic condition in which polyps can form in the large intestine, bowel and stomach. Often this means removal of the bowel and sometimes rectum. If not removed, some of the polyps have a 100 per cent chance of becoming cancerous.
Because of FAP, Krista has already lost her grandmother and two uncles to cancer. Her other uncle has had a large portion of his large intestine removed, and her aunts are screened for polyps as well but luckily have not required major surgery to date. Her father had the majority of his large intestine removed in 2005 and continues six-month screenings to check on the polyps which have formed in his stomach. If they turn cancerous, they have been told that he will have to have his stomach removed as well. Krista has a large family of cousins as well who are also affected and are screened regularly.
Krista credits Dr. Jane Green of Memorial University and her genetics team for identifying the gene responsible for FAP. As a result, genetic counsellors have been able to identify members of Krista's family as well as other families who are gene-positive for FAP. These identified individuals have started an early screening program to detect and remove polyps early in development. Krista acknowledges that the work of Dr. Green and her team have been essential in extending the life of her family members and others who suffer from FAP.
Because of her condition, Krista had her first screening at age 10, starting regular screening by the age of 16. At first she was told that she would only have to have the screening performed every two to three years for the colonoscopy (which looks for polyps in the colon) and every five years for the gastroscopy (which looks for signs of polyps in the stomach). In 2008, she was informed that she would have to have the colonoscopy performed every year, and the gastroscopy performed every two to three years, provided that no polyps show in the stomach.
On January 29, 2010, Krista's first two polyps were found in her colon and removed. Since then it has been more difficult for her to talk about it, as she had mentally convinced herself that she would most likely not have to worry about polyps until she was in her 40s like her father, if at all. But she did a great job with the Telegram, and we are grateful. Krista hopes that through communicating information about FAP, she will also be able to connect to more young people with the condition.
Because of the need for preventative screening/early detection and a lack of support groups for FAP, Krista has become a huge supporter of YACC. She recognizes the importance of the support network provided through our Survivor Conferences and Retreat Yourself programs, as well as early detection/prevention which is communicated through the Touch Yourself,Trust Yourself self exam and We Get It DVD programs.
Like many of the young adult cancer survivors we serve, Krista is feeling isolated in her experience. Even though she has family members with FAP, most of them are older members of her family or live outside of the city and province, making communication and support a little more difficult. Krista has just recently connected with another young adult, Roxanne Callahan, who not only has FAP but also has a son that carries the gene as well. Roxanne informed Krista that she had the majority of her large intestine removed before she turned 30 and that her son also suffered from a form of cancer which is tied to FAP when he was just a baby.
Krista is extremely grateful for connecting with this inspiring (and absolutely wonderful) person who has been dealing with the struggles of this condition for over 10 years now. In just a short amount of time Krista has discovered more information on living with FAP than what she could ever find online.
If you are a young person with FAP and would like to connect with Krista or Roxanne, please contact us.
