Breast Cancer Previvor Sarafina El-Badry Nance Empowers Women to Take Control of Their Health

The astrophysicist and analog astronaut highlights the importance of genetic testing, proactive health decisions and community support.

Sarafina El-Badry Nance / Courtesy of Sarafina El-Badry Nance

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common skin cancer among women. For more information and ways to support, click here.

Dr. Sarafina El-Badry Nance’s journey is one of immense courage and tenacity. She’s certainly a trailblazer in the field of science, but what truly sets the 31-year-old apart is her unwavering commitment to helping others find strength in taking control of their own health.

As an astrophysicist and breast cancer previvor, she is reshaping what it means to be proactive about your own health. We recently caught up with Nance, who is also a 2022 SI Swim Search open casting call finalist, to get her thoughts on the importance of proactive health decisions and community support.

Reclaiming agency

At 23, Nance’s world shifted dramatically when her father was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. Shortly after, she learned that she carried the BRCA2 gene mutation, which significantly increased her own chances of developing breast cancer. At just 25, after an MRI screening revealed a concerning spot, she found herself in an unimaginable position: facing the possibility of a future cancer diagnosis.

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Rather than waiting for what felt like an inevitable battle, Nance took control. At 26, she underwent a preventative double mastectomy.

 “What I learned through that process is it’s easy to think, when you’re diagnosed with a mutation like this, that things are sort of happening to you,” she shares. “Being able to reclaim my agency by choosing to make decisions that protected me, my health, my body, my future, really shifted my mindset.”

Creating community

For Nance, the decision wasn’t just about lowering her cancer risk, but about taking charge of her life. The preventative surgery reduced her lifetime chance of breast cancer from 87% to less than 5%, but the emotional journey that followed was anything but easy. 

She recalls feeling isolated and unable to find a community of other women who had gone through similar experiences at such a young age. 

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“I shared my story because I didn’t know anyone else who had made decisions like this,” she says, describing how she turned her personal experience into a platform of support for others. “What ended up happening was I was flooded with people saying, ‘I have cancer in my family, and I’ve been too scared to consider genetic testing.’ It was a catalyst for me wanting to be more assertive about sharing.”

As a vocal advocate for breast cancer awareness, Nance is working to normalize conversations around preventative care and self-advocacy. The topic of breast health can still feel a little taboo, but she hopes to change that.

“Breasts are popular during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but otherwise, it’s a taboo topic. I hope by sharing my experience, I can help liberate others to make decisions they were scared of, talk to their doctors and be more aware of their bodies,” she explains.

Advocating for women of color

Nance, who is of Egyptian and American descent, is passionate about highlighting the disparities and systemic inequities that exist in breast cancer outcomes, particularly for women of color. In the United States, a woman has a 13% chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, or a one in eight chance. While many women are aware of that statistic, what gets far less coverage, however, is how this number changes in marginalized communities.

“Rates of breast cancer among people of color, especially Black women, are three times as high. Communities of color are the most impacted, and that’s where a lot of research funding and visibility needs to go,” Nance emphasizes. Black women in particular face a nearly 40% higher mortality rate from breast cancer compared to white women, despite having similar incidence rates. Disparities in access to healthcare, early detection and treatment options all contribute to this alarming gap.

Navigating the healthcare system wasn’t always easy, but Nance found empowerment in choosing the right medical team. She stresses the importance of advocating for oneself and finding doctors who are truly invested in their patients, and is more than aware that it’s a privilege to be able to be picky.

“I think what has made a big difference for me is finding a medical team that I trust. I won’t settle for the first doctor I find. I need to know they’re really invested in me, that they see me as a whole person, not just a patient. That was a big part of the process for me, to really feel like I was advocating for myself,” the analog astronaut explains.

What‘s next for Nance

Beyond her advocacy work, Nance’s experience has reshaped her personal outlook. Over the past year, she has received her Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley, published a book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark, and tied the knot with husband Taylor Nielsen.

She’s accustomed to setting ambitious goals for herself and striving for excellence, but her health journey and these major milestones have shifted her perspective on what truly matters. She has also been open about her IVF journey and decision to pursue starting a family that way in order to ensure any future children she might have won’t also carry the BRCA mutation. Nance often speaks about how current reproduction laws and fertility legislation are impacting the cancer community.

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“I used to focus on checking boxes—like getting my PhD before 30—but now it’s more about the journey. I care more about doing work that fulfills me every day, and being a good partner, friend and community member,” she reflects, adding that her father was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 pancreatic cancer. “My time right now is incredibly focused on my family, trying to show up as much as I can as a daughter. Everything else is falling into place around that.”

Nance is a force of nature — a woman whose story has inspired so many to take control of their health, pursue their passions and never stop reaching for the stars.