Are you talking about affording the testing, Di? Because, you are correct, it is enormously expensive.

I ran into some interesting information on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tests when I was searching for the author and title of that book I vaguely remember reading a few years ago, that first introduced me to the term "BRCA" - which stands for BReast CAncer

Apparently the reason the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tests are so costly is that a company called Myriad Genetics somehow owns the patent on this gene - as well as the BRCA tests.

I know, that sounds fantastic, and I'm not sure the courts will allow this to continue, but according to this recent article from Forbes magazine it does seem that at this moment, the CEO of Myriad somehow owns the BRCA gene, and the diagnostic tests to confirm whether or not anyone has breast cancer.

If I'm not understanding this quite right, I certainly welcome anyone who has a better understanding to step up and explain it here.

Meanwhile, according to this web site, SOME insurance companies will cover the cost for the test. And there are some recourses available should one not have insurance, or if your insurance does not cover the test. Check the article for details -- but in short, one option is to get enrolled into a clinical trial, and another is to seek assistance through resources such as the Susan B. Komen foundation.