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Aliza | BRCA 1+ Previvor & Advocate | Hereditary Cancer Gene

@alizafriedlander

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Sharing my experiences first, so you feel confident going next. Building community in public. 39. Mom x3
Living in the gray; working to be OK w/ that

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Can you still be hot AF after menopause?

I’m asking because this is something we don’t talk about enough for all women.

But when you’re a previvor or survivor, you can make incredibly brave decisions to protect your future AND still have complicated feelings about what those decisions do to your body.

For me, my breasts were gone. Hormones disappeared overnight with a complete hysterectomy and I was LOST.

You’ve heard your energy changes. Your metabolism can change. Your skin changes. Your sex drive can change. And sometimes, somewhere in the middle of being grateful to be healthy, you wonder:

Will I ever feel like me again?

Not younger.
Not like the woman I was before surgery.

Like myself. Sexy. Strong. Energized. Confident. Feminine.

So I’m sitting down with women’s metabolic health expert Jennifer Hanway for a conversation about what happens to the female body through menopause. Because when menopause arrives surgically we need all the help we can get to actually support ourselves through it.

We’re talking:
BODY • ENERGY • CONFIDENCE • FEMININITY

And yes, we’re talking about whether being HOT AF is still on the table. 🔥YOU don’t want to miss this no matter where you are in your womanhood journey.

Friday, October 2 • 1 PM ET • Instagram Live

💃🏻 Send this to the woman who needs this conversation, and save the post so you remember to join us Friday.

And to my fellow previvors: what do you wish someone had told you before surgical menopause?

Have you delayed surgery because of menopause anxiety🫣 I know I did

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The after version of me.

Cancer, finding out I carry a BRCA2 mutation, surgeries, scars, fear, uncertainty… all of it changed me.

For a long time, I think I was waiting to feel like myself again. Like eventually I’d get back to the person I was before all of this.

But I don’t think that’s what happens.

You pick up the pieces, keep the parts that still fit, and slowly create a new version of yourself around everything you’ve been through.

Maybe “after” isn’t about getting back to who I was.

Maybe it’s about getting to know who I am now. 🤍

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#fyp #previvor #cancerrisk #cancersurvivor #brca

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For the record, my original plan was a spreadsheet. Tagging some great people in this community.

#brca #brca1 #brca2 #hereditarycancer

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Beyond the podcast 🎙️

In addition to hosting The Positive Gene Podcast, I’m also proud to co-found and facilitate Previvor Perspectives with Marleah Dean Kruzel Ph.D., a webinar series bringing together expert insight and lived experience around the questions that come with hereditary cancer risk.

And our next conversation is coming up September 23! 💗

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How do you navigate enhanced screening when you have dense breasts? What does risk reduction look like beyond BRCA? How do you manage the emotional impact of ongoing surveillance? And how can previvors become better informed and more confident in the decisions ahead?

These are just some of the questions helping shape our next conversation:

Beyond Mammograms: What Every Previvor Should Know About Screening, Prevention & Risk-Reducing Options

📅 Wednesday, September 23
⏰ 10 AM CT | 11 AM ET | 3 PM GMT
💻 Free virtual webinar

Marleah Dean Kruzel, Ph.D. and I will be joined by Ashley Flurry RT(R)(M), Aliza Friedlander and Julia Lichtman Kepniss for a conversation bringing together breast imaging expertise, patient advocacy, risk-based education and lived experience.

Whether you’re a previvor, survivor, family member, healthcare professional or advocate, we hope you’ll join us.

And we want to hear from you. Submit a general question when you register and help shape the conversation.

➡️ Swipe through for more, then register at the link in bio!

Can’t attend live? Register anyway to submit your question and receive information about the replay.

#HereditaryCancer #BreastCancerRisk #genetictesting #Previvor

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There’s more to understanding breast cancer risk than getting a mammogram. 💗

For previvors and others at increased risk, there can be a lot to navigate: genetics, family history, breast density, screening options, prevention and decisions about risk reduction.

Our next Previvor Perspectives webinar will look Beyond Mammograms to explore the questions many #previvors face when trying to understand their personal risk and options.

Beyond Mammograms: What Every Previvor Should Know About Screening, Prevention & Risk-Reducing Options

📅 September 23, 2026
⏰ 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET / 3 PM GMT
💻 Free virtual webinar

Marleah Dean Kruzel, Ph.D. and I will be joined by:

🔹 Ashley Flurry, RT(R)(M), mammography technologist, hereditary cancer gene carrier, and Founder & Executive Director of Breast Imaging Matters
🔹 Aliza Friedlander, BRCA1 previvor, communications strategist and patient advocate
🔹 Julia Kepniss, Vice President of Impact and Strategy at the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer

And as always, your questions will help shape the conversation. Submit a general question for our panel when you register.

🔗 Register - LINK IN BIO

Can’t attend live? Register anyway to submit a question and receive information about the replay our Previvor Perspectives YouTube channel.

🫶 Please share with someone who may benefit from this conversation.
➡️ For general educational purposes only. Personalized medical questions cannot be addressed.

#Previvor #HereditaryCancer #BreastCancerRisk #BreastCancerScreening #GeneticTesting #BreastDensity #BRCA #CancerPrevention #PrevivorPerspectives #ATMmutation #CHEK2 #PALB2Mutation #cancerprevention #knowyouroptions #selfadvocacy

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Nobody warns you that learning you carry a genetic mutation comes with an instant friendship package. 😂

There’s something about meeting another previvor, cancer survivor, or person living with hereditary cancer risk who already understands the screenings, surgeries, scanxiety, family history and impossible decisions…without needing the full backstory.

We may have met because of a mutation or diagnosis none of us asked for, but the friendships are one of the best parts of this community.

Tag the mutation bestie you’d be dancing like this with. 💃

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#HereditaryCancer #GeneticMutation #fyp #Previvor #CancerSurvivor

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Ditching the highlight reel for a little authenticity today

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What happens when knowledge doesn’t feel empowering yet, it feels paralyzing?

In this clip, Aliza Friedlander shares the reality of living with a 50/50 chance of carrying the BRCA1 genetic mutation before she was ready to be tested.

For her, it wasn’t about denial. It wasn’t about ignoring the risk. It was about understanding that the choices in front of her at that time felt limited, overwhelming, and life-altering.

So she continued to monitor. She continued to gather information. And she made the decision that felt right for that season of her life, while always knowing she would eventually need answers for herself and for her children.

Watch this clip, then listen to the full episode for Aliza’s deeply honest conversation about genetic risk, prevention, motherhood, medical decision-making, and what it really means to move forward when there are no easy options.

#breastcancer #supportnow #momslikeme

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Wasn’t planning on adding “runway model” to this chapter but here we are.
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#MiamiSwimWeek #SwimWeek #Miami #Runway #FashionWeek

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The Chemo Club x POST SWIM

Women who have faced cancer deserve to be seen & not hidden.

This collaboration is about reclaiming visibility, confidence, femininity, and joy in bodies that have been through a lot.

We’re honored to bring this to Miami Swim Week alongside survivors, thrivers, and women rewriting what strength looks like in real time!

HOT GIRLS GET CHECKED®

Xoxo,
Allie & Lauren

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We met @lauren_yerkes at a tradeshow earlier this year and she invited us to be part of an inspiring fashion show and we didn’t hesitate to say yes!

On May 2nd we are so proud to be a small part of Beyond the Tide: Empowered & Unstoppable, presented by BRCAStrong and POST SWIM.

Lauren left a 16 year career in fashion to build @postswimofficial after her own breast cancer journey, because she could not find swimwear that made her feel like herself again.

Through Lauren we met Tracy Milgram-Posner, who founded @brcastrong in 2015 after spending over a decade navigating her BRCA2 mutation largely alone. Two lumpectomies, a hysterectomy, a double mastectomy, and on the other side of all of it, she built a community so no one else would have to go through it without support.

We have always believed that what you wear should make you feel confident and like yourself, that is the whole reason Tied exists. Getting to dress the women walking this runway is truly an honor.

This event also falls during Melanoma Awareness Month and that means a great deal to us personally. We are thrilled to support the mission of POST SWIM and BRCAStrong, and can’t wait to see the models on the runway!

#brcastrong #breastcancerawarness #melanomaawareness #fashionshow #missiondriven

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In this episode of The Positive Gene Podcast, I’m joined by BRCA1 previvor Aliza Friedlander to talk about the long and emotional path from living with a known family mutation to ultimately choosing preventive surgery and how that journey led her to the @cancervaccinecoalition.

We talk about:
• Aliza’s long, thoughtful path from family BRCA knowledge to testing and risk-reducing surgery
• The guilt, relief, and vulnerability that can coexist in these decisions
• How cancer vaccines work and why they’re generating real hope
• Why storytelling and awareness are critical to accelerating research
• What this future could mean for previvors, survivors, and the next generation

This conversation is especially meaningful for anyone navigating cancer or hereditary cancer risk and for the people who love and support them. #caregivers

If cancer has touched your life, this episode will matter to you.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app / Link in bio.

Follow @positivegenepodcast for more conversations about hereditary cancer, prevention, and living with hope.

If this topic resonates, #PleaseShare this episode with someone facing cancer or hereditary cancer risk. The future of #cancervaccines is something more people deserve to know about.
@alizafriedlander #hereditary cancer #genetictesting #cancervaccines Image of The Positive Gene Podcast guest, Aliza Friedlander, BRCA1 Previvor and Advocate for Cancer Vaccine Coalition

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