Previvor

Previvor is a deeply personal memoir that explores what it means to live with the BRCA1 gene mutation—the genetic inheritance that drastically increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. When Erica discovered at just twenty-four years old that she carried this mutation, she was forced to confront life-altering decisions about her body, her future, and her identity. A previvor—someone who has not had cancer but takes proactive steps to reduce their risk—Erica shares the physical and emotional journey of preventive surgeries, the weight of family history, and the quiet strength it takes to live in a body that feels constantly under revision. Interwoven with her medical story is the raw, honest account of becoming a mother while navigating postpartum depression, her career as an educator, and the resilience required to hold both grief and joy in the same breath. With unflinching vulnerability, Previvor illuminates the intersections of identity, motherhood, relationships, Erica’s career as an educator, and mental health. It is both a testament to resilience and to the courage it takes to reclaim and rewrite one’s story in the face of inherited challenges.