A mother and daughter from Plainedge are urging women to get screened for breast cancer after they were diagnosed with the disease only 17 months apart.
Frances Coloprisco, 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, as well as the breast cancer gene (BRCA) that would put her daughters at risk. Her daughter Lauren Cortese was only 24 when she screened positive for breast cancer as well.
Lauren opted to have a double mastectomy, which doctors say was rare at such a young age.
Both survived their illness.
Now, the youngest daughter Natalie Coloprico, 22, is waiting to get screened too.
"I think about it all the time, it happening to me. And it's definitely something that I'm so worried about," she told News 12 Long Island.
The family says they want to encourage others to get screened early and often.
Doctors say not everyone is eligible to be tested for the BRCA gene. Experts say the youngest recommended age is 25, if they meet a specific criteria.
Anyone with questions about testing is encouraged to talk to their doctor.