Overview
- At age 13, Ora became primary caregiver to her mother, Vera, through a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation after Vera’s 2005 breast cancer diagnosis.
- The experience triggered PTSD, panic attacks and hypochondria over inheriting a breast cancer gene.
- Genetic testing confirmed she does not carry the BRCA mutation, but she maintains religious self-examinations and screenings.
- Watching her mother battle cancer twice inspired Ora to leverage her fame for women’s health advocacy.
- She has campaigned for regular mammogram checks, warning that pandemic lockdowns disrupted hundreds of routine appointments.