(Fargo, ND) -- Gene testing is benefiting more women than ever by allowing them to dive deeper into their families history with breast and ovarian cancer.

"Do I wish 10 year ago I would've done this testing? Absolutely."

This is what two time cancer survivor and Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center patient, Sandy Dunn, had to say about the genetic testing.

"I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. I was 44 years old and then I had a recurrence in 2010," says Sandy.

During this time, her oldest daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, just two weeks after her 34th birthday.

"They knocked her down pretty hard. She's pretty weak. It's very hard to see,um, she still has that beautiful smile though. I'm sorry. This has been tough. It's the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life, but we're going to survive this, too."

After her daughter's diagnoses, Sandy took her and her youngest daughter to get genetic testing for breast cancer.

This test is a simple blood draw, but doctors are able to see if there is a gene that is increasing a risk for cancer, like the BRCA Gene.

"They're the ones that we know are associated with breast and ovarian cancer and then also prostate cancer in men," says Genetic Counselor Meghann Reardon.

This type of gene testing also shows doctors if these types of cancers are hereditary.

Reardon explains, "so, if a person test positive, we know that all their children - boys and girls - are at a 50% risk to have inherited that as well."

Knowing that information, Sandy wishes she would've taken the test sooner.

"As we started digging into this, I learned that there was other women in our history that had breast cancer and some of them had not survived. This was not information that we were discussing in our family. So this test brought up these topics of conversation," says Sandy.

While, Sandy said it was scary to have her BRCA test come out positive, she says it was also empowering. Moving forward, she can make her own decisions. Like other surgeries that can help lower her risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer, again.

"I keep saying that I've been driving in this car that's been weaving all over the road and I don't know what it's going to smash into and my driver has been cancer. This BRCA testing puts me in the drivers seat," says Sandy.

Meaning now, she's kicking cancer to the curb.

At this time, BRCA gene testing is only for patients with a concerning personal condition or family history of cancer.

If you'd like to know more, it's advised to speak with your doctor.

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BRCA Gene Testing allowing patients to dive deeper into their families history of breast cancer - Valley News Live

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