Sue Friedman

Sue Friedman was practicing small animal medicine in south Florida in 1996 when she was diagnosed "out of the blue" at age 33 with breast cancer. At the time, she was unaware of familial risk factors for hereditary cancer. Reading an article about hereditary breast cancer after completing her treatment, Sue realised that she had several indications for a mutation. She pursued genetic counselling and, in 1997, tested positive for a BRCA2 mutation.

Shocked that her health care team didn't alert her to the possibility of being at high risk, and disappointed at having to make critical treatment decisions while unaware of her mutation, Sue acted so others could benefit from her misfortune. She founded FORCE in 1999 to fill the information void for individuals and families with hereditary cancer and to help them advocate for themselves. After five years as the organization's executive director (while maintaining her own busy practice), Sue left veterinary medicine to direct FORCE full-time. Since then, the organisation has become an unequalled source of research, advocacy, support, and information regarding risk management, prevention, and awareness.

In 2004, Sue relocated her husband Dan, son Beau, and FORCE headquarters to Tampa to work more closely with researchers to improve medical options, care, and outcomes for people affected by hereditary cancer. She is a 28-year breast cancer survivor. In 2023, she was diagnosed with and treated for a rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer and currently has no evidence of disease.

Sue is co-author of two peer-reviewed books, Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, which was published by Johns Hopkins Press, February 2012 and Living with Hereditary Cancer Risk, which was published by Johns Hopkins Press, September 2022.