It was the middle of December, and Rita Lam’s genetic counselor, Katelyn Bohanan, told her, “I’m almost certain it’s going to be positive.”
“The world just kind of stopped,” Lam recalled.
Bohanan was right. Lam tested positive for a mutated gene that significantly increases the likelihood of breast and ovarian cancer. The National Cancer Institute says more than 60% of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA1 or BRCA2 will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
Worry set in a few years earlier when, one after another, two aunts and two cousins were diagnosed with breast cancer. “Boom. Back-to-back,” Lam said. “Fast forward, they had the mastectomies. All of a sudden, we’re like, ‘Well, hold on, is this all of us?” Lam wondered incredulously.
Lam teaches Pilates at UVA Rec. A master Pilates trainer told her she is “gritty.” “We were spending a lot of time going through reformer work during that time,” Lam recounted. “I came up with these ideas for class content – and in front of everyone – she said that. I loved that and have never forgotten it. It sums me up perfectly, and it is a clear description of the classes I instruct at UVA.” (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)
Her aunts and cousins had all been tested for a gene called BRCA1, so that’s what she did. When giving her family history at in late 2023, “mine lit up like a Christmas tree,” she said.
“I had a kid in high school, and I already saw what my family went through. And then it turned out … my mom tested positive, my one sister tested positive. I tested positive. My baby sister did not. So out of four girls, three of us did,” Lam said.
Her decision
In early 2024, Lam was in denial and told herself, “I’m just going to live this out.”
Then, after a lifetime of clean mammograms, her next was irregular. “And I was like, ‘You know what? That’s never happened.’” She said it was the “wake-up call” she needed.
Lam’s doctors gave her two options: have more scrutinized mammograms and pap smears, or a double mastectomy and full hysterectomy. Lam was done having children, and she’d seen the aggressive cancers her family had weathered. “I just want it all out. I’m done. I want to be here for my son,” she decided.
Through Pilates, Lam emphasizes recovery and balance: “This whole mental side of you … it’s just a release,” she said. (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)
‘Hurry up. But take your time’
Lam has worked at UVA for 15 years, starting in human resources in the School of Medicine. Today, she oversees operations in 鶹ƽ Office of Sponsored Programs.
She was facing three surgeries. A double mastectomy, a full hysterectomy and breast reconstruction. One of her favorite sayings is “Hurry up. But take your time,” a turn of phrase often used in the military. “Meaning, just do your research, understand what’s at stake,” she said. But always remember, “We don’t have forever to decide on things.”
So, Lam opted to do all three surgeries at once. It was a seven-hour procedure, and she had it the week before Thanksgiving. Three surgeries meant three surgeons, Drs. Shayna Showalter, Luke Poveromo and Kari Ring.
