A MUM-OF-THREE who had a double mastectomy in response to “a horrendous history” of breast cancer in her family has urged people to seek early treatment.
Jennifer Metcalf, of Haddington, decided on surgery after four members of her family in the last two generations were diagnosed with the disease.
Cancerous cells were found when 36-year-old Jennifer was undergoing tests in the build up to her planned double mastectomy.
Now, she is urging people to get themselves checked out – especially if there is a family history of the disease.
Her gran, Alice Hamilton, died from the disease aged just 48, while two of her great aunts also had breast cancer.
And her mum, Christina Quin, was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 45, which prompted her daughter to take action.
Jennifer said: “Unfortunately, we have a horrendous history of breast cancer in our family on my mother’s side.
“I decided to have a preventative double mastectomy last year at the age of 35, and during the build up to my operation, early stage breast cancer cells were found. In many ways, I feel extremely lucky that my breast cancer was discovered so soon.
“I’m taking part in The MoonWalk Scotland this year, to raise awareness that breast cancer can happen to younger people, too.
“My maternal grandmother sadly died from breast cancer when she was just 48 years old – two of her sisters also had breast cancer and we think the history of the disease in our family might go back even further.
“In 2005, breast cancer moved on another generation, when my mum was diagnosed at the age of 45.
“She had a double mastectomy and is fine now, thankfully.
“With our family history, mum had some genetic testing done but was told that she didn’t have the altered BRCA gene, which means that carriers have a greater risk of developing breast cancer.
“Back then, they only tested for the BRCA gene but mum’s surgeon felt strongly that there was some sort of genetic link between all the cases of breast cancer in our family.”
Jennifer’s own experience with breast cancer started 10 years ago, when she was breastfeeding daughter Mia.
The mum, who lives with husband Gareth and children Mia (10), five-year-old Max and two-year-old Josh, found a lump in her breast but was given the all clear.
However, Jennifer and her consultant agreed she was a good candidate to have a preventative double mastectomy.
She said: “I was only 25 at the time, though, and the surgeon recommended that I completed my family before going ahead with the operation.
“Time moved on and so did science – new genetic tests were being developed and mum tested positive as a carrier of the ‘ATM’ gene, which means you’re two to three times more likely to develop breast cancer during your lifetime.
“I was convinced more than ever that a preventative double mastectomy was the right decision for me, but decided to have one last baby first (my third).
“I was pregnant with my last baby when I found out I had the ATM gene, too, which did cause me extra anxiety over it all.
“My son was born in August 2020, after which I admit I did start panicking a little – I just wanted to have my breasts removed!
“Due to lockdown, there were a number of delays to my surgery but in August 2022 I finally had a double mastectomy with reconstruction.
“It was a very hard time, especially with my youngest child still being so little, but the relief I felt afterwards was huge!
“I had my surgery at the Western General Hospital, in Edinburgh, where the staff were absolutely incredible and so supportive.
“In the build up to the operation, I had various tests, including an MRI scan, which picked up some tumours in my breasts.
“Further tests, including a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, eventually showed that I had cancerous cells.
“My surgeon told me that the changes to the cells were so small that the cancer wouldn’t have shown up on a mammogram for years and I wouldn’t have been able to feel any changes to my breasts myself.
“I would probably have been diagnosed with later stage breast cancer at some point between 40 and 45, a similar age to both my mum and my grandmother.
“I felt so lucky that I’d had the initial MRI scan.
“If I hadn’t, my mastectomy would have been classed as preventative surgery, rather than surgery to remove cancerous cells.
“I didn’t tell many people about my breast cancer diagnosis at the time – I didn’t need chemotherapy, so it was never actually ‘obvious’, as such, that I had cancer.”
It's 31 DAYS until #MoonWalkScot takes place! In just 31 days, many of you will be taking to the streets of #Edinburgh to help fight breast & other cancers!
— Walk the Walk (@WalktheWalk) August 9, 2023
Tag your friends below to share the excitement! We can’t wait to see you all there 🤗https://t.co/uovsJTUYmO pic.twitter.com/4hqJ1XsR5O
Now, Jennifer, who works for NatWest, is “looking forward to getting on with my life”.
She is getting ready to raise funds for walkthewalk’s MoonWalk Scotland in Edinburgh on September 9.
She said: “I feel incredibly lucky that research into faulty genes which can lead to breast cancer has come so far over the last couple of decades, although I do still worry about what the future holds for my 10-year-old daughter.
“However, I’m very hopeful that researchers will continue to make even more advances with both diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer as time moves on.
“I last took part in The MoonWalk Scotland back in 2010, when I was 23, completing the Full Moon (26.2 miles).
“It was a very long way, but the sense of achievement I felt afterwards was just amazing!
“Now that I’ve been directly affected by breast cancer myself, I felt it was the right time to take part again.
“I’ll be walking the Full Moon with very close friends and every single one of us has some sort of link to breast cancer. I want to raise awareness that breast cancer isn’t just a disease which older women need to think about – it can affect younger people like me, too.
“I’d lived a healthy lifestyle, I breastfed my children for years – they’re 10, five and two now – and did all the things I could to reduce my chances of being diagnosed.
“Especially if you have a strong family history of breast cancer, please do ask about genetic testing or early screening.
“And even if you don’t have a family history, still make sure you regularly have a good feel.
“Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and finding it and treating it early saves lives.”
To sponsor Jennifer, go to walkthewalk.enthuse.com/pf/jennifer-metcalf
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