My name is Mary Alice McMillan and I am a documentary filmmaker in Washington, DC. My current project is called Mapping Love. It is an intimate look into my family’s journey after discovering we share a genetic mutation. This mutation makes each woman highly likely to have breast cancer. I learned of my mutation at 20 years old when I was told to plan to finish my family by 30—at which time I would be encouraged to take preventative, surgical measures against my increased chances of breast cancer. My mom, Barbara, and aunt, Cathy, have each survived breast cancer twice, and share the same genetic mutation.

In the film, I travel with my mom and aunt to their birthplace: Love Canal, New York. Together, we learn about the implications of the environmental disaster following the irresponsible dumping of toxic waste in Love Canal in the 1950s. “Mapping Love” juxtaposes my personal story with the long-term effects of environmental injustice.