Country music singer Morgan Wade — who made headlines last year for undergoing a preventive double mastectomy — has partnered with genetic screening company JScreen to raise awareness about breast cancer.

JScreen is a nonprofit organization housed within the Emory University School of Medicine that provides genetic testing and counseling services across reproductive health and cancer.

The campaign takes place throughout March, which is Triple Negative Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Wade’s difficult decision to get the preventive surgery was based on a family history of cancer. Her grandmother and great-aunt passed away from pancreatic cancer, while another aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In a 16-minute video released as part of the campaign, JScreen genetic counselor Emily Goldberg spoke with Wade about her journey testing positive for the RAD51D gene mutation, which is associated with a 15% to 30% higher risk of triple negative breast cancer.

In the video, Wade urged her audience to take preventive steps to check their genetic risk for cancer.

“I did not realize how easy and simple it was to get genetic testing, and so now I recommend it to everyone to take control of their health,” she said.

Following her preventive double mastectomy last year, Wade told People that she was glad she had taken the steps — even if there was a chance she wouldn’t develop cancer.

“I would’ve rather done this and have that peace of mind,” she told People. “I’m grateful for the advances with science that we have the knowledge to be able to go and take care of these things.”

Emphasizing breast cancer nuances

Many people are familiar with breast cancer but may not be as aware of triple negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 10% to 20% of all breast cancers and is often aggressive and difficult to treat. 

Melanie Hardy, director of genetic counseling at JScreen, noted that many people are unaware of triple negative breast cancer’s link to certain genes.

“A lot of cases of triple negative breast cancer can be related to mutations in certain cancer genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA 2,” Hardy told MM+M. “Testing for those and other cancer-related genes can give us a lot of important information so that we can help patients stay healthy and lead long, healthy lives.”

JScreen ships its saliva testing kits directly to patients. Once the lab processes the results, JScreen links the patient up with a genetic counseling team. The genetic counselors guide patients through their results, and explain the risks and potential treatment options.

Outside of its work with triple negative breast cancer, JScreen also rolled out a campaign in 2023 focused on genetic testing for Tay-Sachs disease, a rare genetic disorder that impacts the brain and causes muscle control loss.

Like many marketing campaigns that feature celebrities, JScreen decided to partner with Wade because of her influence over her fanbase.

“Fans see celebrities, study their path and get to know them on social media — they feel a connection with them,” Hardy said. “Finding out that you test positive for a mutation in one of these genes can be a hugely impactful thing in a person’s life — so the fact that Morgan was willing to share her journey is helping people to understand the importance of genetic testing.”

Hardy added: “She’s taking such proactive steps in her own life, and conveying those to her fans so that they recognize the importance of this kind of testing as well.”