BOCA RATON – Identical twins Cari Kutno of Lake Worth and
Dani Mofshin of Boca Raton, diagnosed with the BRCA breast and
ovarian cancer gene, represent the importance of Think Pink Rocks’
education mission.
Cari and Dani consider themselves to be “previvors” and will share
their story with 4,000 people at the fourth annual Think Pink Rocks
concert Saturday, November 5th at the Mizner Park Amphitheatre.
Think Pink Rocks, (www.thinkpinkrocks.com) a non-profit 501 (c) 3
organization dedicated to the early detection of breast cancer and
awareness of the BRCA gene for breast and ovarian cancer, has
reached many individuals with life-saving information.
The twins, 39, both have a harmful mutation of the BRCA 2 gene.
As a preventative measure, they both had bilateral mastectomies
with reconstruction in 2010 at Boca Raton Regional Hospital and a
complete hysterectomy in 2011 as prophylactic surgery to prevent
hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
The twins’ mother, Susan Shapiro of Boca Raton, was first diagnosed
with breast cancer. Their mother made several classic mistakes
before her diagnoses. She missed two mammograms and then,
when she started to have symptoms, thought she had pulled a
muscle in her armpit and waited a month before going to the doctor.
In retrospect, an indicator that Susan might have the BRCA 2 gene
was that several of her family members died of pancreatic cancer. A
leading website, cancer.org, states that harmful BRCA 2 mutations
may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, stomach, gall bladder,
bile duct cancer and melanoma.
Susan was tested for the BRCA gene and found out she was positive,
and then encouraged her twin daughters to be tested as well. After a
double mastectomy with reconstruction on January 7, 2011, Susan is
now cancer free.
Also according to cancer.org, a woman’s lifetime risk of developing
breast or ovarian cancer at an early age (before menopause) is
greatly increased if she inherits a harmful mutation in BRCA 1 or
BRCA 2.
The twins both had their double mastectomy on the same day,
November 30th, 2010 at Boca Raton Regional Hospital and shared
the same hospital room. On July 6, 2011 Cari and Dani underwent a
complete hysterectomy Their husbands, Andrew Kutno and Howard
Mofshin, were extremely supportive of each of their decisions to
have a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction and complete
hysterectomy.
The twins said they are particularly appreciative of their doctors’:
Dr. Marla Dudak (breast surgeon) Dr. David Bogue (reconstruction
surgeon) and Suzanne Bostic (CNA), and Dr. Frank Cirisano
(gynocolgical oncologist).
“This is where breast cancer prevention starts,” Cari Kutno said.
In 2004, at age 36, Stephanie Robin, a Boca Raton mother of two
small children, was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. She
tested positive for the Breast Cancer Gene (BRCA) and underwent
a double mastectomy with reconstruction, a total hysterectomy and
months of chemotherapy. The cancer returned to her lungs and
is stage IV; she is receiving monthly treatment at Memorial Sloan-
Kettering and the tumors have decreased in size by 90 percent.
She and her friends Elizabeth Weprin, Kathy Fleishman and Amy
Seidman established Think Pink Rocks. Working with Steve Rifkind,
chairman of SRC Records/Universal, and producer Kelley Lee, this is
the fourth year they have organized the Think Pink Rocks concert to
advocate for early detection of breast cancer, raise awareness of the
BRCA gene for breast and ovarian cancer, and raise funds for breast
cancer research charities.
For more information, visit www.thinkpinkrocks.com.