Posted on 07/01/2004 6:28:06 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows
A young woman whose mother had her healthy breasts removed after it was found that she carried hereditary cancer genes is to undergo the same operation.
Becky Measures, 22, said she will have a double mastectomy after tests showed that she had a 90 per cent chance of contracting the disease in later life.
Her mother, Wendy Watson, became one of the first women in Britain to have a double mastectomy on healthy breasts.
The decision by Miss Measures, who works as a DJ on Peak 107 FM in Chesterfield, Derbys, is thought to be the first case of a daughter undergoing the same operation as her mother.
She said: "My mother had a double mastectomy 11 years ago although she hadn't got breast cancer and genetic tests at that time were in their infancy.
"It has been a major part of family life since I was very young. My grandmother and great grandmother died from breast cancer. At 22 it was a hard decision to make but I have grown up with it and I have just got to get on with it. My chances of catching breast cancer are minimal at the moment but as time goes on it would get more worrying.
"Before it gets to that stage it is better to get it out of the way. My boyfriend, family and friends are very supportive and it helps that my mum went through with the operation at 38."
She added: "Other family members have contracted breast cancer in their 30s and 40s so I have this large support network and the doctors have been fantastic. The surgeons carry out wonderful breast reconstruction jobs at the same time as the operation and their work is unbelievable.
"I have a lot to live for. This is my way of giving myself a future. A lot of women do not have the opportunity. I see it as a privilege."
Mrs Watson, 49, from Bakewell, Derbys, said: "When I had my double mastectomy it wasn't even recognised that breast cancer could be hereditary.
"When I discovered that nine family members had suffered breast cancer I went to my GP and asked what could be done.
"I had this awful feeling I was waiting to get breast cancer and hoping I had caught it in time."
After her operation, Mrs Watson set up the Genesis Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline for women.
She has recently sat on a panel for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence developing guidelines for women at high risk of breast cancer.
I appreciate your show of simplicity to maintain longevity in life, however I am the perfect show of health, even after my 4" tear in my aorta, "4"....YEARS ago, after a long day at work in the heat today, I think I'll have a beer, relax, and go to bed and have a smoke then rest.
John Ritter, to his demise didn't follow stats, but then again I didn't either, so why did he cack in 45 seconds, and I am still alive 4 years later?
Hell, I'll just flip to the backside of the nickle and read the logo.
It just seems so harsh but if it prevents breast cancer then it will be worth it.
I glanced at the title and surmised that there was a very strong family history of breast cancer and that she tested positive for brca1 and brca2. Was I wrong? There are a bunch of interesting stories tonight.
It just says she tested with a 90% chance of getting breast cancer. I don't know what I would do in her position being so young. But yes between radical surgeries and rabid donors, it's going to be a fine weekend!
The link in post 106 may be of interest.
Thanks!
Who cares about what? Ever lose a loved one to breast cancer?
I really can't imagine spending my whole life worrying about "when" I would get breast cancer. It's terrible to contemplate.
I wonder if they can they completely remove ALL breast tissue?
Was that a "meow"?
Or someone who went to pour milk in his/her coffee and found pee instead!
I hate it when that happens.
LOL
Thanks to the rapid advance of biotech, cancer is starting to be aggressively squashed. And there is a truckload of new stuff already in clinical testing. Cancer isn't beat, but we are entering an era where we are just beginning to become very good at defeating it. I wonder what the average onset age was for her grandparents. If she has even a ten year window, this was damn stupid. The stuff coming down the immediate pike is pretty awesome.
You were lucky,but there's no point to get snippy with me,for stating the bleeding obvious.
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