Decoding Annie Parker Page #6

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Paul.

Hey, listen.

I want you

to do something for me.

What is that?

I want you to believe.

Believe in what?

Believe in anything.

Come on, Annie.

Come on.

It worked for me.

Uh, no offense, but...

believing that there's some

miracle cure out there

that no one knows about...

You gotta believe in something.

I do.

I do believe

in something, Annie.

I believe in cancer.

And you know what else

I believe in, Annie?

I believe that

I am going to die.

Okay.

I'm gonna go now, okay, sweetie?

Just like he said he would,

Paul died.

I realized then

that was the difference,

and that was the answer

to the question

everyone was always asking me.

Paul didn't believe

in anything in the end.

I did.

I believed in my genes

and chromosomes.

I believed in my helix,

and I believed in

predispositions.

Faith.

It may not seem like faith,

not as you might think it,

but it is.

And maybe those who say

faith sustains us

are right.

And maybe it doesn't matter

what we have faith in

as long as

it's faith in something,

like the future.

My brother died of lung cancer,

uh, and colon cancer.

I had never seen cancer

until I saw colon cancer, okay?

Blood coming out of everywhere,

and it was just...

I don't know how you can go on.

I don't think I could.

It's agony.

It's the sh*t I deal with.

I know what it's like.

Yeah. I'm telling you,

it was the same guy.

Either one or both

of the parents were...

Or they both

had the receptive...

One of the parents had some...

Yeah. It seemed random.

You okay, Annie?

Oh...

I'm afraid I don't

have good news for you.

We found malignant tumors

on both your ovaries,

with involvement

of the fallopian tubes

and elsewhere in your abdomen.

Do you understand

what I just said?

Now, while you do

have an advanced form

of ovarian cancer,

we removed everything

that we found.

Anything left

is potentially curable

with chemotherapy.

Advanced?

Stage three.

You have a long,

hard fight ahead of you.

I'm 37.

Oh, that's very young.

You rest, and we'll talk later,

all right?

All right. I've reviewed

your pathology reports,

and it's good

you had the surgery.

Please, Doctor.

You know I prefer bad news.

Cheers me up.

With what we're seeing

on your path reports,

I have to tell you,

this type of cancer

responds best

to a combination

of chemotherapy drugs.

We'd like you

to receive cisplatin

and cyclophosphamide.

Maybe ten or twelve treatments.

How long?

Altogether, a year or so.

I've been here before.

I know you have.

So what do you say?

Damn, you're hot.

I need some water.

One breast,

no hair.

They all want you,

but they can't have you.

Just hold on a minute.

Sorry.

I'm gonna be sick.

I'm gonna be sick.

I'm gonna be sick.

Oh!

You are so hot, baby.

One breast, no hair.

What's weird is that

you want your mom.

I just want my mommy.

- You need the nurse?

- I'm in too much pain.

- You need the nurse?

- I want... I'm in too much pain.

Okay. Are you comfortable?

No. I'm hot. Let me take...

I'll take 'em off.

They all want you,

but they can't have you.

- It hurts me.

- I know, sweetie.

It really hurts.

No.

No, they can't.

Dr. King,

are you all right?

- Dr. King, are you...

- Maybe there's something acting

on these genes.

Maybe it's not

happening independently

or spontaneously.

Controlling genes.

Squeeze one more time for me.

Okay. Okay.

Well, let's try

the other arm, hmm?

Sorry, Annie.

This happens

when you've had too much chemo.

The veins get scarred

and are hard to use.

Like a junkie.

Well, next time,

I'll put in a portacath.

That'll last several sessions.

Okay.

Yeah? I think

we've found one.

- Yay.

- Right there.

- Hey.

- Wow.

Cancer haute couture.

Ta-da!

Not a good look, then?

It's... a look.

Thanks, Brian.

Thank you.

- They're beautiful.

- You are.

- What's going on?

- Excellent question.

Let me show you what's going on.

Maybe you can

figure it out for us.

Look around you.

What do you see?

A lot of paper.

Each paper represents

parts of chromosomes

that we suspect may be active

in the cancer

of our test patients.

In other words,

these areas are variants...

mutations in the DNA.

- Our 350... all cancer sufferers.

- Why are there so many?

Because it represents

many generations.

- See these red dots?

- Yeah.

Wherever they appear is

an indication of a mutation.

Black lines...

morbidity, death.

So there's a lot of mutation?

Yeah. Everyone's DNA has

a certain amount of variation.

What we're looking for

is a mutation

the same place

on the same chromosome.

Mary-Claire, if we're looking

for patients who have

- ...a predisposition to breast cancer...

- Yes.

That would suggest that they

were born with a mutated gene.

- Yes.

- But most cancers occur later in life,

when the telomeres

are reduced in size.

Right.

So if we concentrate on women

who have early-onset cancer,

we'd be much more likely

to find women

who have a predisposition.

We were presuming

that all breast cancers

were caused by the same thing.

Yes, but if

they have similar tumors

but different causes...

And we just look at women

with early-onset cancer...

Do it.

Average age, 28.

- 40.

- 35.

Where is it?

It's here.

And here.

We found our gene.

That's Mary-Claire King.

There's a link.

There's a link.

You understand what I'm saying?

There's a genetic link

between mothers and daughters

and sisters

who have had breast cancer.

See, there's a predisposition.

A kind of mutation.

There's a link.

You were right.

Excuse me.

Hello. Hi.

Hey, I heard the good news.

Allen, she's in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati?

They could hardly believe it.

Yeah, well,

they believe her now, huh?

They do. Anybody who

ever doubted us.

Well, her. She did it.

- A single gene.

- Pretty much.

Incredible. So, what now?

Oh, there's still

lots to be done.

We have to pinpoint the

precise gene and sequence it.

Yeah, well, that's

where the money is.

- The money?

- Yeah. Lots and lots and lots of money.

You sequence the gene,

and then you patent it.

It's yours.

Do me a favor, will you?

Say good-bye

to Dr. King for me...

and, uh...

you know, congrats and all that.

She is something.

- Excuse me, Dr. King?

- I'm sorry.

I don't have any more time.

I'm already late for my plane.

My name's Annie Parker.

Thanks.

Oh.

I read your letters.

I heard you were in town.

I tried to catch your lecture,

but the traffic was horrible.

- I'm sorry.

- It's okay.

It was a bit dry.

My jokes didn't play very well.

- So I...

- I've wanted to meet you.

I wanted to meet you, too.

So I heard they patented

our gene... your gene.

That's right. They have.

So does that mean

we get a discount on it

in the future if we need it,

like a Sears card?

It's not a cure, of course.

No. Yeah. I heard,

but it's a start.

That's right. It's a start.

- That's a pretty necklace.

- Thank you.

It was my mom's.

I had it restrung recently.

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