Angelina Jolie may be the most famous person you’ve ever known to openly discuss BRCA mutations and breast cancer, but it’s even more likely that you don’t know Jolie.
I do know Caitlin Brodnick. And so should you.
Brodnick, a 28-year-old comedian by night (and legal secretary by day) in New York City, is beautiful, brave and wickedly charming. She is a friend of mine. She is a neighbor of mine. And now she is sharing an intimate part of her life’s story with the world, almost in real time.
Brodnick’s documentary webseries for Glamour magazine, “Screw You Cancer,” debuted yesterday. It follows her life through the process of learning she has inherited the genetic mutation BRCA1, her decision to have preventative double mastectomy surgery, and what comes next.
So, what does come next for Brodnick? She told me that today is her first real day back at work. Her next edition of “Shut UP! An All-Female Storytelling Show,” holds court on Oct. 27 at The PIT. There will be a half-dozen or more episodes to come of “Screw You Cancer,” too.
Here is the first.
And here is Brodnick telling a much different story of “Survival” earlier this year. This tale involves auditioning for a weight-loss infomercial before her wedding.
https://vimeo.com/57900170