Health Council of South Florida

Amy Byer Shainman, like Angelina Jolie, is BRCA1 positive. While Jolie inherited her mutation from her mother, Shainman inherited her BRCA1 mutation from her father. Going back generations on her Dad's side of the family there is large family medical history of different types of cancers. Shainman is a PREVIVOR--meaning she is a survivor of a predisposition to cancer. In other words, she is someone at an extraordinarily high risk for cancer who has not actually had the disease. In 2010, Shainman had two prophylactic surgeries to drastically reduce her cancer risk; a nipple sparing, skin sparing mastectomy with reconstruction and an oophorectomy and hysterectomy. Shainman is a passionate advocate for hereditary cancer awareness who has appeared in numerous media campaigns, news stories, television segments, sharing her story while stressing how crucial genetic counseling is in the BRCA testing equation. Shainman's BRCA story is featured in the book THE PINK MOON LOVELIES: EMPOWERING STORIES OF SURVIVAL compiled by Nicki Boscia Durlester. Shainman also contributed several pages to Teri Smieja & Dr. Jonathan Herman's book on BRCA entitled LETTERS TO DOCTORS. Shainman is the Executive Producer of the BRCA documentary Pink & Blue: Colors of Hereditary Cancer which is currently screening at film festivals throughout the country. She also appears in the film. http://pinkandbluemovie.com Shainman is currently finishing writing a BRCA/Hereditary Cancer memoir "RESURRECTION LILY". Shainman feels she has an opportunity to share what she has learned about BRCA/hereditary cancer and empower others. Her hope is that future generations will have less invasive cancer risk reducing options available to them. Shainman reaches people via many social media platforms, national media placements, and various public relations efforts. She is married to Jon Shainman, a graduate of Northwestern University. He is news anchor and reporter for WPTV news channel 5 in South Florida. They have two children.