Inherited Mutations Virtual Support Group

AnCan is here to support anyone who lives with an Inherited Mutation …. Previvor, Survivor, or Care Partner.

Many years ago, AnCan and the Burhans Family found each other. Bill, a yeast geneticist at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY, discovered Rick Davis in the Inspire forum well before AnCan was formed.

@BuffaloWill lived with recurrent and aggressive prostate cancer driven by a BRCA2 mutation. He was among the first to benefit from a PARP inhibitor; Bill just happened to have a research drug lying around his lab, and his tumor board allowed him to try it 6 years before FDA approval. Bill got more than 2 years from this treatment.

AnCan had the great honor to navigate Bill until he died in 2019. We have also supported his sister, who lives with BRCA-driven cancers, and been supported by Bill’s brother and sister-in-law, Buzz and Chris. We have seen how an inherited mutation can impact families on many levels and vowed to minimize that in Bill’s honor.

While it’s taken a while, AnCan is now proud to start a quarterly Inherited Mutations Group. Two or three years back, AnCan initiated an email list, the BRCABrothers. That naturally evolved into this group that includes men and women with inherited mutations of various types – HRR mutations like BRCA, DDR, and Lynch Syndrome mutations, TGR mutations like LiFraumeni, and even sickle cell trait that afflicts many of AnCan’s Renal Medullary Carcinoma community.

Our goal is to support all those impacted by inherited mutations, whether known or not. The group is disease and mutation-agnostic. It addresses the issues that arise from living with a mutation that can be passed from generation to generation.

Our Peers Moderators are Joel Axler and Bill Harris.

This group meets on the 1st Thursday of each Quarter at 8 pm Eastern in the AnCan Schmier Room.

In memory of Bill Burhans, Ph,D and Davie Isaacs, MD