Suzanne Pratt was three months pregnant with her daughter when tests revealed that she would likely develop an aggressive form of stomach cancer.

It was the same disease her grandfather suffered, and the one that claimed the life of her sister, who was just 32 years old.

“Because my sister passed at such a young age, her doctors wanted the rest of the family to get tested for it,” said Suzanne, of West Penn Township.

She and her brother followed the advice, and learned that they had a mutation associated with the cancer.

“They said down the line we were prone to getting it. They suggested stomach removal,” Suzanne said.

She had the surgery when her daughter, Victoria “Vicky,” was 3 months old.

“It was better than going through what my sister did,” Suzanne said of the surgery.

Since doctors determined the cancer was hereditary, they recommended testing for future generations. Two of her brother’s children and two of her sister’s would eventually receive news they didn’t want to hear.

Vicky’s turn was next. She said she knew from an early age that she would have to get checked at some point.

“I decided to get tested and it came back positive,” Vicky, now 19 and of West Penn Township, said.

“It was devastating to know what I went through and now that my child is going to go through the same thing - it was heartbreaking,” Suzanne said.

In a way, Vicky was prepared for the surgery.

“It kind of helped me knowing that my cousins went through it and they are all right and they bounced back,” Vicky said.

Vicky had her stomach removed in July 2021. Thankfully, the surgery went well.

“I don’t feel any different. Most of the times, I forget that I had it done,” Vicky said.

Suzanne said that as long as there are no symptoms - and neither she nor Vicky has had them - there is no reason to have any additional surgeries or continued tests.

Vicky hopes to turn her experience - and the experiences of her loved ones - into something positive.

“Everything happens for a reason and now because if this I want to be a genetic counselor to help people who are going through the same process I went through,” she said.

Suzanne and Vicki Pratt will receive their Courage Awards at 4:15 p.m. Saturday in a remote from the Tamaqua Station Restaurant.