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CNN Live At Daybreak

A Woman Takes Radical Steps She Hopes Will Save Her Life

Aired October 31, 2002 - 05:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In today's health report, Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us about a woman who's taking some radical steps she hopes will save her life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some may think 49-year-old Denise Barickman is crazy. Some may say brave. She had both her breasts and her ovaries removed earlier this year.

JACKIE BARICKMAN, DENISE'S DAUGHTER: I had never heard about like what she had done before until she told me. So, I was pretty surprised.

GUPTA: More than 200,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. But Denise was never diagnosed with cancer. After having two benign lumps removed, she had her procedures done just to play it safe.

DENISE BARICKMAN, PATIENT: I walked in the door and shook his hand and I said I'm not here because I'm sick, I want to stay well. This is a wellness visit.

GUPTA: Denise had watched family members battle cancer throughout her life. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 30 years ago and had a radical mastectomy. Two of her sisters are also breast cancer survivors and another had colorectal cancer.

DR. NEIL FINKLER, FLORIDA HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE: She was an emotional wreck just thinking about what her risks were and how -- she kept on seeing herself as her mother or her sisters with breast cancer down the road. And that was something that she could not face.

GUPTA: According to Denise's doctors, her risk of developing breast cancer was almost four times greater than the average American woman. Her risk of getting ovarian cancer, 15 times greater. Even with clear elevated risk, surgery was a difficult decision.

DR. LOUIS BARR, FLORIDA HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE: It's a significant thing to undertake. It's irrevocable. There's no way to hide it. There's no way to go back.

GUPTA: Denise talked to her sisters and researched her options on the Internet and then chose a plan of action.

BARICKMAN: By the time I had made this decision, you know, in my mind my breasts were not very pretty looking because I felt like there was something lurking inside that was going to kill me.

GUPTA: After deciding on the surgery, Denise had to discuss it with her family.

MIKE BARICKMAN, DENISE'S HUSBAND: It took a while to come to realization that, you know, even though, you know, we have a partnership, that is a decision that, you know, you have to make yourself. You know, when it comes down to it, it was her decision and it's her life.

PAULINE KENNEDY, DENISE'S MOTHER: But I just knew that she would do it and she wouldn't say much about the pain. But I was all for it. If that's what she wanted, that was it. Of course, I kind of dreaded it, but I knew what she was going to have to go through.

GUPTA: After the operations, Denise's risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer dropped to near zero. Her doctors recognized that more women are becoming proactive with their cancer risk.

FINKLER: There are women out there who truly understand that they're at increased risk, whether it's based on family history or genetic testing, and who have opted, I think very appropriately, to take the steps necessary to reduce their risk of dying from disease.

BARICKMAN: I'm at peace now and I can go on living now. I have, I can live now period.

GUPTA: Denise is now scheduled for breast reconstruction and reminds women that when it comes to their health, they do have choices.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Dr. Gupta makes a house call to AMERICAN MORNING a couple of hours from now. He will be talking about Halloween candy.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 31, 2002 - 05:20   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In today's health report, Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us about a woman who's taking some radical steps she hopes will save her life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some may think 49-year-old Denise Barickman is crazy. Some may say brave. She had both her breasts and her ovaries removed earlier this year.

JACKIE BARICKMAN, DENISE'S DAUGHTER: I had never heard about like what she had done before until she told me. So, I was pretty surprised.

GUPTA: More than 200,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. But Denise was never diagnosed with cancer. After having two benign lumps removed, she had her procedures done just to play it safe.

DENISE BARICKMAN, PATIENT: I walked in the door and shook his hand and I said I'm not here because I'm sick, I want to stay well. This is a wellness visit.

GUPTA: Denise had watched family members battle cancer throughout her life. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 30 years ago and had a radical mastectomy. Two of her sisters are also breast cancer survivors and another had colorectal cancer.

DR. NEIL FINKLER, FLORIDA HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE: She was an emotional wreck just thinking about what her risks were and how -- she kept on seeing herself as her mother or her sisters with breast cancer down the road. And that was something that she could not face.

GUPTA: According to Denise's doctors, her risk of developing breast cancer was almost four times greater than the average American woman. Her risk of getting ovarian cancer, 15 times greater. Even with clear elevated risk, surgery was a difficult decision.

DR. LOUIS BARR, FLORIDA HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE: It's a significant thing to undertake. It's irrevocable. There's no way to hide it. There's no way to go back.

GUPTA: Denise talked to her sisters and researched her options on the Internet and then chose a plan of action.

BARICKMAN: By the time I had made this decision, you know, in my mind my breasts were not very pretty looking because I felt like there was something lurking inside that was going to kill me.

GUPTA: After deciding on the surgery, Denise had to discuss it with her family.

MIKE BARICKMAN, DENISE'S HUSBAND: It took a while to come to realization that, you know, even though, you know, we have a partnership, that is a decision that, you know, you have to make yourself. You know, when it comes down to it, it was her decision and it's her life.

PAULINE KENNEDY, DENISE'S MOTHER: But I just knew that she would do it and she wouldn't say much about the pain. But I was all for it. If that's what she wanted, that was it. Of course, I kind of dreaded it, but I knew what she was going to have to go through.

GUPTA: After the operations, Denise's risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer dropped to near zero. Her doctors recognized that more women are becoming proactive with their cancer risk.

FINKLER: There are women out there who truly understand that they're at increased risk, whether it's based on family history or genetic testing, and who have opted, I think very appropriately, to take the steps necessary to reduce their risk of dying from disease.

BARICKMAN: I'm at peace now and I can go on living now. I have, I can live now period.

GUPTA: Denise is now scheduled for breast reconstruction and reminds women that when it comes to their health, they do have choices.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Dr. Gupta makes a house call to AMERICAN MORNING a couple of hours from now. He will be talking about Halloween candy.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com