That is partly because Kristine recently underwent a preventative double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery after discovering she had the cancer-causing mutated BRCA2 gene.
“We looked cancer in the face, and my wife stared it down with a quiet resolve, a quiet strength and we (lowered her chance of developing breast cancer),” he said. “So whenever I think things are bad here, I just think about what she’s going through and it makes things better for me here. She’s my inspiration.”
The 37-year-old Gordon is an Ohio Army National Guardsman who has been serving in Bagram, Afghanistan, since April. The Kettering resident is a member of the Middletown-based 324th Military Police Co., which is conducting a security mission. Two other Kettering residents, Spc. Cameron Winning, 24, and Sgt. Jason Cottingham, 35, are also members of Gordon’s unit.
The trio, interviewed this past weekend, said being away from their families during the holiday season will be tough. The soldiers in their unit miss their spouses, children and other relatives and they’d rather be home this Christmas. But they’ve developed a kindred spirit as a unit, and they said they enjoy serving their country. They plan to make the most of it by exchanging gifts on Christmas morning, drinking hot cocoa and calling their families.
“It’s going to be an enjoyable Christmas for us,” said Winning.
He is one of the youngest soldiers of the group and is on his first deployment.
Gordon considers this Christmas his season of sacrifice because he’s not been home to comfort and assist his wife as she continues to recover from surgery.
“I know next year I will be home with her and it will be a lot better,” he said.
He said they plan to start a family when he returns home. The couple married in June 2012, so Gordon missed their first anniversary. He lost his job as a Montgomery County corrections officer shortly before he deployed because of budget cuts, and he spends his free time in Afghanistan searching for jobs on the Internet.
Kristine Gordon, 35, learned she had a bad BRCA2 gene by accident, she said. Her younger sister, Amber Caroll-Fossano, was ill and had several tests done, and doctors discovered she had the damaged gene. It is heredetary, so doctors asked that all her female relatives get tested.
“I was shocked,” when she discovered she had the gene, she said, her voice quavering.
The BRCA2 is a human gene that produces tumor suppressor proteins that help repair damaged DNA. However, when the gene is mutated then damaged DNA may not be repaired properly. As a result, cells are more likely to develop additional genetic alterations that can lead to breast, ovarian, prostate and other forms of cancer in women and men, according to Cancer.gov.
Having a double mastectomy to remove both breasts or removing ovaries and fallopian tubes greatly reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Kristine Gordon had her double mastectomy in March, about a month before her husband deployed and received reconstruction surgery for breast implants in November.
“It was nerve-wracking without (her husband) being here,” she said of her breast reconstruction surgery. “But I knew he had to be (in Afghanistan). I’m very proud of him for serving his country.”
Danny Gordon plans to fulfill his wife’s lifelong dream of visiting Ireland when he returns, he said. He’s planning to take her there on a week-long vacation.
“She’s an awesome lady,” he said. “She’s keeping the home fire going with strength, dignity and a resolve. She’s been that anchor for our family.”
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