My maternal grandmother died of Breast Cancer at at 52 (2 yrs before I was born). My mother died of Breast Cancer at age 42 (when I was 8 yrs old). I was absolutely fearful of developing the same disease and I had regular mammograms all my adult life. I was diagnosed with very early Breast Cancer at age 41 in Nov 2001. I was advised to have a bilateral mastectomy by my Breast Surgeon who felt that given the family history it was a sensible thing to do. I agreed to this on the basis of an immediate reconstruction. Unfortunately I had complications and my reconstruction failed. This was removed and I have yet to have it redone.
It was after this that I tested positive for BRCA1 and was then advised by my genetic counsellors to have a hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. This was a tough choice but I went ahead for the sake of my health. My priority was and always has been my two boys and being around for them.
I would dearly love to have my reconstruction fixed but am not sure if this will be possible. This was the toughest challenge of my life, besides losing my mom when I was 8 yrs old. My heart goes out to any family who deals with this.
Sydney, Australia