Hi, I’m Joan, 35 years old and a BRCA1 mutation carrier.
When I was 15, in 2004, my maternal grandmother declared her second breast cancer at the age of 62, the first having occurred 20 years earlier. After all the tests they also discovered that she had ovarian cancer that had metastasised to her stomach. The doctors asked my mum and aunts to undergo genetic tests. Only my mum was a BRCA1 carrier like my grandmother.
Despite warnings and explanations from specialists, it wasn’t until 2014, at the age of 25, that I decided to take the test. Before that I didn’t want to know, I didn’t want to have this sword hanging over my head. When I tested positive for BRCA1, I went to see a psychologist who, even though I didn’t want to hear it at the time, explained to me that I should take this as an opportunity to benefit from close monitoring in order to be able to anticipate the disease.
In September 2023, I underwent a bilateral salpingectomy, and in April 2024 I took the decision that was the hardest for me to take: the double mastectomy. The regular follow-up and the false positives were so trying at times that I had to make this decision. What really triggered my decision was the news that a very close friend of mine had breast cancer, but she had no genetic history. I looked into my son’s eyes and said to myself: it’s now or never.
Today, even though the journey has been long and not without pain. I feel relieved and in agreement with my choice. Touching a woman’s femininity is difficult, but I think that if we have the power to anticipate and reduce the risk, that’s the best chance of all. I also feel lucky to have known about the BRCA+ Network and to be part of it. For me, it’s obvious that being able to help all those who are in the same situation as me, who are faced with this difficult choice and whose daily lives are full of doubts and uncertainties, just as it was for me, is a difficult yet light-hearted decision that I felt it my duty to make.
BRCA+ Network asbl
