Two local women who know a thing or two about cancer are teaming up to raise funds and awareness during national Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer week.

Davis residents Raychel Kubby Adler, who underwent a bilateral mastectomy two years ago after learning she carried the BRAC2 mutation, and Samantha Ballard, owner of Renew Denim, have organized a “Fix Our Genes” jean swap and sale at the downtown Davis store on Wednesday and Thursday.

Ballard is offering 50 percent off a new pair of jeans to anyone who donates money or jeans during the event. All donated jeans will be sold for $10 each, with proceeds going to FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, a national nonprofit group that Adler represents locally.

“Our goal is to educate as many people as possible about the importance of getting tested,” Ballard said. “If we can get a lot of people here, just to educate them, it could reduce a lot of sadness in the future.”

According to Adler, more than 750,000 people in the United States carry a BRCA gene mutation, which signifcantly raises their risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, often at a young age.

“But an estimated 90 percent of those people do not know they carry this gene mutation,” said Adler, who was tested for the gene after her grandmother, mother and sister were all diagnosed with breast cancer, and her sister tested positive for the gene.

By undergoing the prophylactic mastectomy, she reduced her own risk of breast cancer to less than 2 percent. Still, her own two daughters each have a 50 percent chance of carrying the gene.

And according to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 14,000 cases of breast cancer and 2,600 cases of ovarian cancer linked to the BRAC gene will be diagnosed this year.

“We want families to pass down recipes, photos and memories to the next generation,” Adler said, “not the risk of cancer.”

Adler approached Ballard about creating a jeans-for-genes event earlier this year and Ballard jumped on board immediately.

Ballard has long used Renew Denim to support local fundraisers, and given her own history with cancer — she’s had two malignant melanomas removed in recent years — she was happy to help.

Many other business owners in Davis are helping as well, including by donating items for a raffle that will be held during the event. Raffle items include a facial from Jen Wendt at Pure Beauty, a gift certificate from Kathy Delgado at Salon Jewel, jewelry from Kim Campanelli of Stella and Dot, T-shirts from Tiny Little T-Shirt Company and earrings from Alison Benjamin of Benjali.

Breast cancer survivor and activist Ann Murray Paige has donated The Breast Cancer Diaries Movie and Project Pink Books for the raffle as well.

‘Fix Our Genes’ will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at Renew Denim, 222 D St., Suite 9A. FORCE volunteers will have a table at the store with more information about genetic cancers.

Anyone interested in donating to the cause also can do so online by visiting http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/raychel-adler/fixourgenes-jeanswapandsale.

Elsewhere around the country, other FORCE groups also will be celebrating the week with special events, including a Passing of the Torch ceremony at a Washington Nationals baseball game in Washington, D.C., a Union Soccer Team game in Philadelphia, a Previvor Day Art Exhibit in Phoenix and a Kickin’ Cancer Walk/Run in Los Angeles.

FORCE was founded in 1999 and serves thousands of families with support, education, advocacy, awareness and research. For more information about FORCE, visit www.facingourrisk.org or http://www.facebook.com/FORCE.

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected] or (530) 747-8051.

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Samantha Ballard of Renew Denim, left, and Raychel Kubby Adler, Sacramento outreach coordinator for FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer), make plans for this week’s fundraiser. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Pink is the color of the day as Samantha Ballard, left, owner of Renew Denim, prepares for a fundraiser this week for research into hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Checking out a pair of pink jeans are Jennifer Harrison and her daughter Chloe, 3 1/2. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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