Baby Elise Barter does not know it, but she has broken her family's 100-year cancer curse.
Unlike her aunt, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother she does not carry a BRAC gene mutation.
Her father, Andrew Barter, is delighted.
A huge burden lifted from his shoulders the day he found out he does not carry the gene and has not passed it on to his daughter.
Mr Barter's family have lost 20 women to breast and ovarian cancer, which inspired his sister Krystal to start the Pink Hope charity to support people with the BRAC1 or BRAC2 gene mutations.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The charity, which is marking Bright Pink Lipstick Day on Friday, says the mutation causes major anguish.
"Imagine hitting your teens and as you look down at your developing chest wondering if your breasts are going to give you cancer," says Ms Barter, who is one of about 120,000 Australians with the mutation.
She started the charity to support women like her.
One of the biggest difficulties is deciding between ongoing surveillance or preventative surgery.
Surveillance can detect early breast cancer or, preferably, a pre-cancerous change, says plastic surgeon Dr Garry Buckland.
There are no reliable screening methods for ovarian cancer.
Preventative surgery is a traumatic decision, he says.
However, a mastectomy can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 97 per cent.
Removal of the ovaries also has the added benefit or reducing the risk of breast cancer.
"It is an incredibly difficult process for the entire family. A gene mutation in one member has implications for everyone in the family," said Dr Buckland.
About 70 per cent of women choose surveillance.
If a woman chooses preventative surgery it is often best before the age their mother or other relative was diagnosed with a tumour, Dr Buckland says.
Men may also have the mutation, which means they have increased risk of breast and prostate cancer.
The children of a mutation carrier, father or mother, have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the gene, he says.
