While I recognize that it’s a stroke of bad luck that my sister, my dad and I have BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, I had a revelation last night as I watched my entire crazy family rock out on the dance floor.  My niece had her Bat Mitzvah this weekend and it has been an absolute blast.  Her self-possessed presence at a mere 13 as she read from the Torah filled us all with such pride that I thought we’d collectively burst.  The party that followed was amazing, and there we all were, dancing our hearts out and savoring every single moment that was being handed to us.

My sister, now through her chemotherapy and radiation, was in full force, enjoying her family, having photos taken at the dress up photo booth- to look at her you would never guess that she has severe burns at the site of her radiation.  My cousin, who had lung cancer, a lung removed, and has been taking a chemo pill that has been effective for the last few years was shaking her booty to the beat.  And my mom, who has had to grit her teeth and watch her kids suffer through the year was at the center of it all, dancing with a spirit of joy that made all of those left sitting in our seats jump up and join her.  As my brother aptly put it, “sometimes having a crazy family is a handful, but nobody is better at a party.”  Amen.

And then it hit me.  This batch of genetic mishagoss with which I have been saddled is unfortunate but if wishing it away meant losing this group of loonies from whence I came- there is no way in hell I’d make that trade.  I would rather be someone faced with these challenges who can laugh, dance and dress up in funny outfits in the face of what’s coming down the pike then someone without a trouble in the world, and no ability to appreciate the ease of things.

Some might ask, “what if you could keep the family and dispel with the genes?”- well that’s a dumb-ass question!  Of course I’d get the genes taken away from me and my sis and my pop- but today I’m okay with where it all lies.  My sister is done with her treatment, my dad is in the midst of chemo but with no side effects and he looks like a million bucks, and I have a team of people cheering me on from the sidelines to such an extent that I never feel alone, I never want for love, in fact I never want for much at all.

So in the same way I revel at times in the fear of what’s to come, tonight I am reveling in the joy of what it is to be part of the Levinson/Asher clan of genetic misfits.

Bring on your wrecking ball…