"Pink and Blue" takes on important subject of hereditary cancers in women, men

Sandy Kenyon Image
Sunday, October 25, 2015
"Pink and Blue"
Sandy Kenyon has the review.

"Pink and Blue" is a good movie that is good for you, and is as interesting as it is enlightening. It is so necessary as to be transformative.

The issue of BRCA first came to wide attention when Angelina Jolie revealed she carried the genetic mutation, that places those who have it at a much greater risk of developing breast cancer.

Angelina Jolie's decision to have a double mastectomy sparked a discussion that surprised the star, as she told Eyewitness News last year.

"I certainly didn't expect the reception and the connection to other women, and how much it would mean to me. I didn't realize how much we were a part of it together," Jolie said.

It is also not just women who are affected. The documentary was made by a guy with a personal stake in his subject, which is why the film is called "Pink and Blue". It is not really about a color masculine or feminine, it is about a conversation.

Eyewitness News' own Stacey Sager survived cancer and lived to tell her own story on ABC 7, helping to save the lives of others.

"I know that if Stacey hadn't shared her story, hadn't been brave enough to go on television and document her journey, I wouldn't have learned about the test and gone and done it myself," said Kara DioGuardi.

Their tale is but one of almost a dozen told in the documentary. Without exception, all the stories are moving.

Kelly Roth became the youngest person ever to have both breasts removed upon learning she had the 'Braca' mutation.

"I am choosing to have a prophalactic bilateral mastectomy at 20 years old because I feel like there's a bomb attached to my body, and tomorrow, that bomb gets dismantled," Roth said.

The way cancer reverberates down through the generations made me recall my late mother. 'Lindy' Kenyon lived a long life before cancer claimed her one year ago, but watching "Pink and Blue" helped me put her death into perspective.